Teo Chee Hean
Singapore
“The second point first, Mr Speaker. Certainly, it could have been a factor. But to the Panel which reviewed the thing, it was not an acceptable excuse or reason. The agencies still have to be responsible for what they are doing, whatever season of the year it is.”
“On the balance in ACRA, I would not say it is a conflict, but you have to strike the right balance between the functions that ACRA is meant to provide, which is to have a registry which promotes corporate transparency, and you have to balance that against how you protect personal data.”
“That means, if you do find a bug or you do find a way in which you can penetrate a Government system, you let us know, and there is a bounty for it. And this is evergreen. But we also do, from time to time, have a hunting season. So, for certain of our systems, we invite white hatters to attack those systems.”
“Then, he asked when the political office holders got involved in the public communications on the Bizfile portal issue. They got involved, I think, almost as soon as it became apparent that there was public anxiety. Next question about paragraph 40 and the email to senior officers, yes, the July 2024 CM was emailed to officers.”
“In fact, we monitor the dark web for a variety of things, including this, and we have not seen any sale of NRIC numbers as such. On the question of collection and use of NRIC numbers, actually, in the communication with the Government agencies, I think it is important to know who you are communicating with.”
“So, you actually make your email address available to others. But for authentication purposes, it is quite different. You do not tell your password to others. That is something which you keep for yourself and your email service provider knows. So, there is a difference between an identifier and an authentication.”
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“The best way to avoid this is to ensure that we have Members of Parliament and Ministers of the highest quality – people with ability and the interest of Singaporeans at heart. That will give us the best outcome – able elected political leaders, with a good feel of the ground, working hand-in-hand with able and committed public officers to develop sound policies with the long-term future of Singapore in mind, to implement practical programmes that serve the needs of Singaporeans. Mdm Speaker, our public officers work round the clock to improve the lives of Singaporeans. Teachers who do their best for their students, especially the ones from disadvantaged backgrounds; policemen, civil defence officers, SAF servicemen who often put themselves at risk to keep all of us safe and secure; enforcement officers who help to provide the sense of order, safety, security and cleanliness that is a hallmark of Singapore, which all of us appreciate. Last week, Madam, we marked Public Service Week, where public officers reaffirmed their commitment to serve Singaporeans and Singapore. We presented awards to 18 agencies and 133 public officers who have done well. But equally importantly, we presented awards to five members of the public who have contributed to improving the lives of their fellow Singaporeans by helping the Public Sector to do better. We have been giving these awards for members of the public since 2009, five years ago. It takes two hands to clap and the Public Service is sincere in wanting to work together with Singaporeans in partnership. Madam, Singaporeans have millions of interactions with public officers every day, and many Singaporeans do appreciate the good work that our officers do.”
“We want to develop good officers across the whole Public Service, wherever or whenever they demonstrate their ability and potential for further advancement, at any stage of their career, which Dr Intan Mokhtar spoke about yesterday. Last year, we launched the Public Service Leadership Programme to develop specialist leaders in each sector, with deep domain knowledge in five key areas: economy, infrastructure and environment, security, social and central administration. These officers will spend much of their careers within their respective sectors developing deep knowledge and expertise, but they will also have opportunities to develop their leadership qualities and have exposure beyond their sectors. But we also need officers who can work across all our Ministries and agencies, to integrate policies and programmes on a whole-of-Government basis. Our Administrative Service officers have traditionally been developed to be strong in whole-of-Government perspectives. Our Sectoral Leaders and Administrative Officers in the Public Service will, therefore, be able to form strong partnerships and strong teams with a deeper and wider range of capabilities, perspectives and experiences. Both Sectoral and Generalist officers can rise to the highest positions in the Public Service, as it is so today. On Tuesday, we all smiled when Ms Denise Phua mentioned the scenario played out in "Yes, Prime Minister". The reality, however, should it come to pass, will not give rise to much mirth. I agree with her that "revolving door" politics raises the risk of that happening – where civil servants are more able, stay longer and, therefore, know more than their Ministers, and may well run rings around them. Page: 48 That is, in fact, what happens in some other countries.”
“Where the Public Service or public officers have fallen short of these high standards, we will endeavour to correct, counsel and improve. But do also spare a word to encourage our public officers, and motivate them when they do a good job. Key to a good Public Service is good leadership, at all levels. We are providing opportunities for officers at all levels to train, upskill and upgrade themselves, so that they can fulfil their potential and, at the same time, develop the abilities and skills to serve Singaporeans better. We have also widened our outreach to develop our Public Sector Leaders. We recruit able and energetic people with different backgrounds, skills and experiences into the Public Service. Over the past few years, the Public Service Commission has awarded scholarships to students from a range of schools, including the Polytechnics, NUS High School of Page: 47 Mathematics and Science, the School of the Arts and the Singapore Sports School, from which we have had a President's Scholar. But scholarships are only one route into the Public Service. There are other opportunities to join the Service, including immediately after graduation or as a mid-career entrant. The Public Service takes in about 150 undergraduate interns each year under the PSD-run Internship@Gov programme. Many more take up internships directly with public agencies. Such internships give students an opportunity to experience work as a public officer, understand what public officers do and we hope to encourage them to join the Public Service for a fulfilling career.”
“Public officers who abide by the Public Service core values of Integrity, Service and Excellence – none of which can be taken for granted, and which we must work to achieve in what we do every day. Page: 46 Public officers who continually strive to improve, so that the Public Service can serve Singaporeans better. We need public officers across all Ministries and agencies, at every level, to live by these ideals so that we can always do our best and Work Together to Serve Singaporeans Better. Many frontline agencies and many public officers have done good work in the last two years to improve service delivery and policy responsiveness. And we will continually strive to do better. Just last week, when we marked Public Service Week, I reminded public officers that we need to place renewed focus on three areas: (a) strengthen interagency collaboration to more effectively resolve issues that Singaporeans face; (b) be more responsive to the changing needs of Singaporeans; and (c) find better ways to engage Singaporeans and tap on their ideas and energy. Madam, I meet our public officers from different Ministries and agencies and visit them at their workplaces regularly. Among those I have visited recently are our Air Traffic Controllers in Changi and our doctors and nurses at the Institute of Mental Health. Many of our public officers tell me that the work they do is deeply meaningful. They find fulfilment from making a difference to Singapore and fellow Singaporeans. Indeed, this is the main motivation for many of them to join the Public Service and remain in it for a full career. We must ensure that good people continue to want to come forward to join the Public Service, people with both the ability and the heart to serve Singaporeans.”
“Mdm Speaker, I rise in support of the Motion of thanks to the President for his Address at the Opening of the Second Session of this Parliament. Several Members have raised matters relevant to PMO on a variety of subjects – Population, Climate Change, Research and National Security – as well as on matters relevant to MHA. I thank Members for their interest in these matters. I will not be responding to all these matters today, but will be happy to reply if Members wish to file a Parliamentary Question. Several of these matters are already under active consideration and we will take the other suggestions and comments into account as we work through these issues in the coming year. Today, I will speak about the Public Service, how the Public Service is readying itself to help put into action the policies and plans announced by the President in his Speech, and by the Prime Minister yesterday. Members, including Ms Denise Phua and Dr Intan Mokhtar, spoke about the Public Service in their speeches earlier. Mr Baey Yam Keng also had many useful suggestions. As the Minister in charge of the Civil Service, I welcome all these suggestions and constructive feedback to improve the Public Service. Over the past few days, we have discussed the new challenges and opportunities that Singapore faces in the coming years, and how Singaporeans are ready and willing to help shape that future. So, what kind of Public Service and public officers do we want for Singapore and Singaporeans? Public officers who put Singaporeans at the heart of what they do and who work together with Singaporeans to develop policies and implement programmes that make Singapore better for Singaporeans.”
“PSD will recognise public officers who go the extra mile in their work, to inspire others to do the same. PSD will also create more opportunities for Public Service leaders to engage younger officers so that leaders can guide their officers to understand and embrace the values, ethos and culture of the Public Service. PSD will work with MOF to review and strengthen critical governance processes to identify weaknesses or adapt to new circumstances. Personnel-related measures, including mandatory job rotation and block leave for officers in fraud-prone job functions, have also been introduced, and the Public Service will work together to ensure that these are implemented effectively. As Singapore approaches its fiftieth year of Independence, the Public Service is proud to be part of the journey in getting Singapore to where we are today. The Public Service looks forward to continuing the partnership with Singaporeans to build a strong future together for our nation. Page: 75”
“We want our public officers, from the most junior to the most senior, to have meaningful careers in the Public Service and to sustain their passion in serving the public. We will ensure that our human resource management policies and practices are progressive and effective in attracting and retaining good officers, and encourage performance and alignment to the ethos of public service. The appointment of a Chief Human Resources Officer and the launch of human resources training programmes signal our commitment to upgrading the capabilities of our Human Resources officers across the Public Service. We will build up specialist expertise among our officers. For example, we will build a deeper and broader pool of engineers, particularly in our larger statutory boards, who can design and develop innovative and complex projects. We will continue to strengthen our Page: 74 foresight capabilities, focusing on translating insights about emerging trends into effective policy responses. PSD will also broaden our leadership development programmes to nurture a more diverse pool of leaders to meet the challenges of a more complex environment. The Public Service Leadership Programme will groom officers with deep expertise in different sectors and professions, to take on future leadership positions in their respective areas across the Public Service. Beyond good technical and management skills, every public officer also needs to uphold the values of integrity, service and excellence and serve Singapore and Singaporeans with a sense of mission. CSC will partner agencies in our effort to deepen the understanding of the Public Service's values and ethos at various milestones in an officer's career.”
“The Public Service Division (PSD) will continue to build a first-class Public Service that serves Singapore and Singaporeans well. To do so, PSD will help our public officers to develop the capabilities needed to carry out their duties and strengthen the role of public officers as trusted stewards of the public good. The Public Service will improve coordination across the whole-of-Government so that citizens have a smoother experience interacting with various Government agencies. This will start with the delivery of municipal services, such as public cleanliness, grass-cutting and maintenance of walkways and drains, and assistance to families with several social service needs that cut across agencies. We will also work on improving public communications and engagement. The Civil Service College (CSC) is developing new training programmes to equip officers with skills in these key areas. To develop policies that better meet the wide range of Singaporeans' needs, PSD will work with Government agencies to build capabilities to partner the community to understand different views and gather new ideas and to create solutions together for better outcomes. Policy officers will have more operational postings and attachments to help them better understand the issues faced by Singaporeans and the impact of Government policies when implemented. The Public Service will also pay more attention to policy execution so that good policy intentions are translated effectively to services delivered by frontline officers. The Public Service is putting strong emphasis on the professional development and career progression of our public officers. We will invest in the development of our officers and encourage them to grow in their jobs.”
“Such interdependency studies on national network infrastructure, such as the national telecommunications network, will help agencies to understand where critical inter-system dependencies and where vulnerabilities need to be addressed for greater resilience. The pilot phase of these studies focused on three key sectors of national network infrastructure – Energy, Water and Infocomms. The next phase will map other critical sectors, such as Transport and Healthcare. To catalyse cybersecurity research and capability development, the National Cyber Security R&D Programme was launched in October 2013. Jointly supported by MHA, MINDEF, IDA, EDB, NRF and NSCS, the S$130 million programme provides an open platform for collaboration across Government agencies, academia, research institutes and the private sector to protect Singapore's information infrastructure and national assets. A grant call for research project proposals was launched on 7 March 2014 and closed on 2 May 2014. Page: 72 Our national security also depends on the vigilance and resilience of all Singaporeans. NSCS will continue to educate and engage Singaporeans on our national security risks, through multiple platforms and channels. Even as we try to prevent any national security incident from taking place, it is also important to build up our society's capability and resilience to withstand shocks and to emerge stronger from them. NSCS, therefore, also coordinates research to better inform policies to build social resilience in Singapore. Page: 73”
“In a globalised and interdependent world, threats to national security can develop quickly, can be omni-directional and can disrupt not just a singular target, but cause interconnected failures. The National Security Coordination Secretariat (NSCS) works with various Government agencies to tackle multi-agency and cross-domain security challenges in key areas, such as maritime security, food security, cybersecurity and critical infrastructure security. NSCS also carries out longer-term studies to map out potential threats to national security and explores new concepts, strategies and technologies that can address them. Drawing on these studies, NSCS catalyses a coordinated and collaborative approach that harnesses the synergies across agencies to pilot and develop new capabilities. NSCS' Risk Assessment and Horizon Scanning (RAHS) Programme helps us to better anticipate emerging issues and national security risks. Together with academic and international partners, the RAHS Programme has experimented with and developed processes and products that have helped Government agencies identify, analyse, model and monitor areas, such as the evolving range of cyber threats. The RAHS methodology is continually refined and will be used to analyse issues, such as extreme weather hazards and food security. NSCS has worked with DSO National Laboratories to identify, understand and model the interconnectivities within and across the various domains of Singapore's national security to identify critical interdependencies and potential vulnerabilities.”
“Second, we will join up the entire value chain of players in our innovation ecosystem – scientists, entrepreneurs, venture funds and corporations – so that we are better at turning scientific discovery into useful innovations, and translating technological breakthroughs into growth companies. Companies with major manufacturing stakes in Singapore, like Rolls Royce and Keppel, have set up corporate research labs at our Universities, strengthening industry-science linkages. We are working with economic agencies to grow clusters of innovative firms, in areas such as diagnostics and membrane technologies. NRF will support closer engagement between our Universities and home-grown companies, to facilitate technology transfer and help them develop future products and markets. In addition, we will work with large local enterprises to grow a strong technology ecosystem around them, so that we create jobs, scale production and spur growth, not just in new sectors, but also established and traditional ones. Strengthening the linkages between research, innovation and enterprise will help Singapore to remain competitive in the knowledge-based future economy. Our goal is for our investments in R&D to translate into economic growth for Singapore and give rise to more innovative companies that continually create good jobs of the future for Singaporeans. Page: 71”
“The new NRFInvestigator-ships provide opportunities for established scientists in Singapore to pursue ground-breaking, high-risk research. Our scheme to attract overseas Singaporean scientists home to continue their research careers and eventually take up leadership positions here, will help grow the Singaporean core of researchers. The scientific community here has matured, with our national science and engineering academies prepared to play a larger role in the science and technology ecosystem. We are also developing an enabling ecosystem for startups, including venture capitalists, incubators and financing. Page: 70 As we embark on planning for the next five-year science and technology plan, or Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2020, NRF's focus is twofold. First, we will sustain strong performance across the different entities in our ecosystem through sound governance and accountability. NRF has worked with MTI, MOE and MOF to improve coordination within Government so that we achieve more effective R&D outcomes. We instituted changes to whole-of-Government structures to improve strategic planning and oversight. As part of the RIE2020 planning, stakeholder agencies are working together with research and industry partners to develop coherent strategies for each research domain from advanced manufacturing to the digital and biomedical sciences, establish clear national objectives for each sector, and draw up the plans and appropriate performance indicators. We will focus on areas where we can develop researchers who can conduct world-class research which leverages on our national strengths so that investments have a high chance of generating value for our economy and society.”
“The National Research Foundation (NRF) works with research performers, companies and Government agencies, such as MTI, MOE, MOH, MND, MEWR and MCI, to build R&D capabilities, encourage innovation and grow technology enterprises. Together with our partners, NRF seeks to develop Singapore as a knowledge economy and society, creating good jobs and improving well-being for Singaporeans. Through the combined efforts of NRF and its partners, Singapore has achieved a good standing in R&D internationally. Our two top Universities have risen rapidly in international academic rankings. They have also established 15 research groups with 10 leading universities from the US, Europe and Asia at the Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE). The A*STAR research institutes conduct high quality research with an industry focus, helping to anchor large corporations in Singapore. We have also seen MNC corporate laboratories setting up in Singapore. NRF, together with partner Ministries, has broadened the research focus to other sectors where Singapore has the potential to make significant contributions globally. These include Translational and Clinical Research in Biomedical Sciences, Interactive and Digital Media, Environmental and Water Technologies, and, more recently, Marine and Offshore, and Satellite Technology. Through the National Innovation Challenges, we are also developing unique national solutions in the areas of energy, as well as land and liveability. There is also a new programme in cybersecurity, aimed at raising Singapore's capabilities to defend ourselves from cyberattacks. We have invested in growing a strong pool of science and engineering researchers. The NRF Fellowships bring young, bright scientists to conduct research in Singapore.”
“We will continue to review our policies to take into account the changing needs of Singapore and Singaporeans, as well as the changing domestic and external environment. With the Government working together in close partnership with Singaporeans, the community, businesses and institutions, we can make Singapore a truly distinctive home for all Singaporeans and for many more generations to come. Page: 69”
“To prevent our citizen population from shrinking and improve its age balance, we welcome new citizens who are committed to Singapore, willing to contribute and share our values. We also welcome foreign spouses of Singaporeans who are in a stable and sustainable marriage. We will continue to help these newcomers to better integrate into our society. As we committed in the Population White Paper, we have embarked on a new strategic direction towards a more sustainable population with slower growth in the non-resident population. Companies are already facing tight manpower constraints as we slow foreign workforce growth. We will continue to take a calibrated approach, as we help companies to Page: 68 raise productivity and restructure their work processes through this transitional period. We must remain open to people, ideas and resources to generate innovation, new businesses and employment opportunities to support the aspirations of Singaporeans. We will also build and tap on the global network of friends of Singapore, within and beyond our physical boundaries. Singaporeans will remain the core of our workforce. We will continue to support skills upgrading and ensure that Singaporeans are considered fairly for jobs. We will work towards inclusive growth so that the benefits are enjoyed widely and fairly by all Singaporeans. We will broaden and deepen our efforts to promote greater mutual understanding and acceptance between Singaporeans and foreigners. We will also plan our city well, and ahead of demand, to support our population and ensure a high quality living environment. To ensure that we have a sustainable population for Singapore in the medium and long term, we need to plan and implement our policies starting now.”
“We want a Singapore with a sustainable population – where Singaporeans are the heart of our nation, where we have opportunities to pursue our aspirations, and which we are proud to call our home. The National Population and Talent Division (NPTD) works with other Government agencies to develop and implement population policies towards this vision, focusing on three key areas: providing more opportunities, as well as quality care for our rapidly increasing number of seniors, so that they remain active in society; sustaining our citizen population through a supportive environment for marriage and parenthood, engagement of overseas Singaporeans, and the integration of new immigrants; and taking a balanced approach to slow the growth of our foreign workforce, while maintaining a vibrant economy with opportunities and jobs of the future for Singaporeans. As our population ages and the number of older Singaporeans increases rapidly, we will provide more opportunities for our seniors to be meaningfully employed, and tap on their wisdom and experience to contribute to society. We will also improve the quality of care and support to match the needs of our seniors, so that they can enjoy active silver years. These include healthcare, housing options, progressive work environments, lifelong learning, senior-friendly infrastructure, retirement adequacy and silver volunteerism. Strong families are the bedrock of our society. We will continue to support Singaporeans' aspirations to marry and have children, and work with our community partners to provide more integrated support for Singaporeans in their marriage and parenthood journeys. We will also continue to engage Singaporeans abroad, so that they stay connected to Singapore.”
“The 2nd National Climate Change Study will provide long-term climate projections for Singapore. The Coastal Adaptation Study will develop a coastal protection framework to prepare Singapore for the impact of rising sea levels. Climate change also offers substantial opportunities for green growth. The Government will continue to work with the research and business communities to grow the environmental and clean technology industries. This will create good jobs for Singaporeans, and improve our quality of life and living environment. We will continue to invest significantly into R&D and test-bedding to develop solutions in the areas of clean energy, energy efficiency, green buildings and clean transportation, with a view to commercialising and exporting successful innovations. Page: 66 Everyone has a part to play to ensure that Singapore adapts and thrives in a low-carbon world. We will work with key partners and stakeholders, such as schools, non-governmental organisations and businesses, to raise public awareness and promote climate-friendly actions across all sectors. Together, we will strengthen our capabilities and readiness to address climate change and develop Singapore along a sustainable pathway for the benefit of present and future generations. Page: 67”
“Climate change affects all countries. As a low-lying, small island state, Singapore is particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, such as rising sea levels and extreme weather events. We will thus continue to play our part by being a leader in environmentally responsible urban living and economic development, and lower our carbon emissions in spite of being constrained in alternative energy sources. Singapore supports global efforts to address climate change through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). We are taking measures to meet our unconditional pledge to reduce emissions to 7%-11% below our business-as-usual (BAU) level by 2020. If there is a global agreement on climate change, we will reduce our emissions even further to 16% below our BAU level by 2020. Singapore is also playing our part to facilitate negotiations for a new post-2020 global agreement, which could be reached by 2015. Singapore is working to meet our current commitments and to develop a suite of measures to stabilise our emissions over the long term. We will continue to work with industry partners and academics to develop technology roadmaps to guide the research, development, demonstration and deployment of low-carbon technologies. We need to promote more energy-efficient designs, equipment and processes in our different sectors. We will increase the efficiency of our electrical generation and transmission system, and deploy renewable energy, such as solar energy, as it becomes cost-effective to do so. We are also developing climate resilience plans in areas, such as coastal protection, biodiversity and greenery, public health, water resources and drainage, and urban infrastructure and energy.”
“Our community partners and volunteers complement the work of the Home Team in areas, such as emergency preparedness, community policing and reintegration of ex-offenders, including programmes like the Yellow Ribbon Project. They thus play an integral role in keeping Singapore and Singaporeans safe and secure. We will put in place a training and development framework to provide volunteers with the necessary skills and support. Building on this strong community support, we will strengthen our outreach to the community. For example, SCDF will engage and develop children and youth as lifelong advocates of Emergency Preparedness by expanding its Lionhearters Programme. SCDF will also broaden the coverage of its Civil Defence (CD) Ready programmes from schools and homes to workplaces. We will also leverage on resources already available in the community to serve Singaporeans better. For example, we will work with community partners to install Automated External Defibrillators (AEDs), train volunteers and develop mobile applications to locate community first responders. This will help to improve emergency medical response. SPF has made improvements to its electronic Police centre and will develop new mobile platforms to facilitate crime reporting. The Home Team will adapt and evolve to meet the challenges of a very dynamic operating environment. We will continue to develop our officers, strengthen integration within the Home Team and build even stronger community partnerships. By working together with the community, we will keep Singapore safe and secure for all Singaporeans. Page: 42”
“The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will introduce the next generation of biometric passports in the next few years. These next generation passports will have additional security features to improve the security, convenience and ease of cross-border travel for Singaporeans. ICA will also expand the use of biometrics and automation to clear travellers through our checkpoints more quickly, without compromising security. We will invest in the continual training of our officers, including Full-time National Servicemen (NSFs) and Operationally-Ready National Servicemen (NSmen). We will raise the professionalism and deepen specialisation within the Home Team, especially in core areas, such as operations, investigations and intelligence. This will provide officers at all levels with meaningful and satisfying careers to attract and retain good officers. We have raised the retirement age for Home Team officers to retain valuable experience and expertise in our officer corps. Page: 41 The Home Team Academy is updating the curriculum for the Home Team milestone development courses to prepare our officers to work together to tackle the evolving and complex environment facing the Home Team. We will also train and equip our officers to respond to a wide spectrum of operational situations. For example, SCDF provides safe and realistic simulator training to challenge frontline commanders and hone their command and control skills. The development of the Home Team Tactical Centre will facilitate the training and integration of our tactical and emergency response forces.”
“This helps to improve situational awareness, interagency coordination and anticipation of security threats while optimising the use of manpower. We will make use of new communications, imaging and mobile computing technology to enhance our Command, Control and Communications (C3) capability to facilitate the daily work of Home Team officers. This will also enable ground commanders to strengthen incident management, optimise resource deployment and facilitate operational decision-making. SPF's upcoming CUBICON 2 system will interface with SCDF's newly commissioned Advanced C3 Emergency System (ACES). The use of Police Cameras in HDB estates has proven to be useful in deterring and solving crimes, including bringing unlicensed moneylending under control. Police Cameras will be installed in all HDB blocks by 2016. SPF will pilot the use of body-worn cameras, as police forces in other jurisdictions have found them useful in deterring crime, calming rowdy members of the public and providing valuable investigative leads. SPF will also use footage from cameras in fast response cars to provide better situational awareness to its operations rooms and help in post-incident investigation. The Traffic Police will progressively deploy digital speed cameras and red light cameras to help keep our roads safe. We will invest in new equipment to help our officers do their work better. The Police Coast Guard will acquire new patrol and interdiction boats to augment its capabilities to secure our maritime borders. SCDF is acquiring unmanned fire-fighting machines for use in complex and dangerous situations, and enhanced personnel decontamination vehicles to strengthen its capability to deal with incidents involving hazardous materials.”
“To ensure that our legislative and policy levers remain effective to deal with emerging challenges, such as transnational and organised crime, we will introduce an Organised Crime Act to deal decisively with crime syndicates. We will also introduce legislation to regulate remote gambling, and provide inputs and support for the Private Member's Bill on the prevention of human trafficking. The Home Team will also leverage on our international networks to help deal with the increasingly transnational nature of criminal activities. The INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), which will be operational in Singapore in 2014, will greatly increase opportunities for collaboration with police forces internationally and support operations and investigations against trans-border crime. The INTERPOL Digital Crime Centre in the IGCI will also facilitate the development of capabilities to address cybercrime. We will invest in new capabilities to support our new strategies and expand our ability to respond to the wide spectrum of threats the Home Team has to deal with. We will provide better coverage and response. SPF will establish a new Divisional Headquarters in Woodlands and two Neighbourhood Police Centres at Geylang and Bartley. SPF will also revamp Neighbourhood Police Posts to provide round-the-clock electronic services to the community. SCDF will have new fire stations at Sentosa, Kallang and Jurong and a new marine fire station at Tanah Merah. We will sharpen our sense-making capabilities to better anticipate and handle incidents. MHA and the Economic Development Board (EDB) have partnered several industry consortia Page: 40 and Government agencies to prototype solutions that integrate information and derive analytical insights.”
“We remain committed to our zero-tolerance approach towards drug abuse. The Home Team will adopt a proactive and comprehensive approach to meet the emerging challenges and keep Singapore safe and secure for the future. The Singapore Police Force (SPF's) Community Policing System (COPS) seeks to increase community engagement and enhance Police presence to prevent and deter crime. COPS will be introduced to all Neighbourhood Police Centres by 2015. Apart from being ready to fight fires and enforcing current fire regulations, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will review, update and formulate fire safety requirements for new building materials, MRT Page: 39 stations and high-rise buildings and the licensing and inspection regime for the storage of petroleum and flammable materials. To tackle the drug problem holistically, SPF and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will build on their public education and community engagement initiatives to reach out to young people on the dangers of drugs and to stay away from crime, and work with the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on rehabilitation programmes. To deter re-offending, SPS will strengthen its throughcare system, starting from when offenders are incarcerated, and extending to aftercare, through the Conditional Remission System and the Mandatory Aftercare Scheme. The more structured aftercare with closer supervision will facilitate the reintegration of ex-inmates into society. We will deploy tagging devices with real-time island-wide automatic reporting capabilities to monitor suitable persons under supervision. This will ensure public safety while providing more options for offender rehabilitation and reintegration in the community setting.”
“We have built up a strong record for safety and security in Singapore over the decades. To continue having a safe and secure home in the face of new security challenges, the Home Team will adapt its strategies, invest in new capabilities, further develop the potential of Home Team officers and foster even stronger community partnerships. Terrorism remains a concern, both globally and regionally. The withdrawal of coalition forces from Afghanistan by end-2014, and the instability in Syria, the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Gulf, are potential breeding grounds for Al Qaeda and its affiliates as well as new terrorist groups. Jihadi elements remain active in our region. Self-radicalisation is a concern, given the widespread availability of radical material on the Internet. Another challenge is cybersecurity. Countries around the world are still trying to keep pace with the threat of cyber-attacks, which can include the disruption of web services, stealing of information and crippling of critical systems. Criminals are also exploiting the anonymity of the Internet and its growing use to prey on the vulnerable. Crime has become increasingly cross-boundary, taking advantage of easier transportation and Internet connectivity. We have to respond resolutely to these new developments with greater international cooperation and monitoring and control of cross-border movements and transactions. This is especially so for organised crimes, such as money laundering, illegal moneylending or match-fixing, which have taken on a cross-boundary dimension. Drug abuse continues to be of concern, particularly among youths and repeat drug abusers, with an increasing trend of abuse of methamphetamine or ice. This is exacerbated by the worsening regional drug situation.”
“There are currently 33 establishments with valid liquor licences at the various Institutions of Higher Learning (IHLs). The establishments include staff clubs, alumni associations, restaurants and retail outlets, for example, 7-11 convenience stores and supermarkets, some of which also serve the general public. The number of licences in each IHL is shown in the table below. Page: 112 The management of each individual IHL has the ability to decide on its own policy and impose contractual requirements on whether liquor can be sold or consumed in the premises that it operates or lets out. Police regulate the sale and consumption of liquor mainly from the law and order perspective. Each liquor licence application is assessed on its own merit. The background of the applicant and the law and order situation at the location will be considered before a licence is granted. In granting liquor licences to outlets in IHLs with students below 18 years old, such as the Polytechnics, Police will require the applicant to obtain the IHL management's consent. The licences are issued with conditions, one of which prohibits the licensee from permitting the sale to or consumption of any liquor by any person below the age of 18. MHA will review the existing liquor control measures as part of its ongoing review on the liquor licensing regime.”
“VSCs are vested with police powers, don the police uniform and work alongside regulars in anti-crime patrols and operations. They undergo rigorous training and serve, on average, 40 hours a month. Police also has 3,688 full-time National Servicemen who perform important roles alongside regular officers, such as patrolling our public transport system and performing frontline duties at NPCs and Police Coast Guard. In addition, 25,133 Police NSmen supplement our regular officers when they are called up for duties, for example during national events. SPF also actively forges close partnerships with the community. It engages volunteers and residents through the Safety and Security Watch Groups, Neighbourhood Watch Groups and Citizens-on-Patrol groups in our local communities. Our volunteers and partners complement regular policing resources. They do not replace trained Police manpower. We will continue to work with partners and volunteers to build even stronger community partnerships.”
“In order to attract and retain good officers, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) has to ensure that a policing career offers attractive value propositions – the job is meaningful and purposeful, its terms and conditions are competitive and career development prospects are good. Over the past 10 years, the Police Force has grown from about 9,000 officers to about 10,300 officers, an increase of about 15%. This number includes uniformed officers, civilian specialists and civilians. In terms of Police Officers, SPF has seen an increase of 10% in its uniformed staff strength over the same period, from 8,010 to 8,780. SPF has recruited an annual average of 480 Police Officers in the past three years and its establishment is currently 96% filled. Recruitment is not only to fill vacancies arising from retirements and resignations but also to meet new requirements such as the Community Policing System and Traffic Police resources under the Safer Roads Singapore initiative. Besides school leavers from our Polytechnics and Universities, SPF also reaches out to mid-career persons and Police National Servicemen. Page: 110 The Community Policing System (COPS) is a key SPF policing strategy. SPF will recruit an additional 450 officers for COPS. The officers will be deployed across all Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) to tackle local crime concerns and enhance community engagement. This will boost overall staff in the NPCs by 16%, compared to May 2012 before COPS was launched. Each of the 35 NPCs will, on average, see an increase of 13 more officers once COPS is fully rolled out by end-2015. Police has an active volunteer scheme with 767 Volunteer Special Constabulary officers or VSCs.”
“There were 18 reported robbery committed against taxi-drivers in taxis in the last two years (2012 and 2013). This is lower than the number of such incidents reported in the previous two years. Police work closely with taxi operators and the National Taxi Association by providing regular updates on crimes targeting taxi drivers and advising them to be alert and adopt basic crime prevention measures during their duty shifts. In April 2013, the National Crime Prevention Council and the Singapore Road Safety Council published and distributed 50,000 copies of the Taxi Driver's Handbook to educate taxi drivers on crime prevention and road safety. Page: 109 Police also encourage taxi operators to take greater ownership in protecting their drivers against crime, such as installing GPS tracking systems and distress buttons within all their taxis. Currently, all taxis are installed with distress buttons and most of them have installed GPS systems. In December 2013, ComfortDelGro announced that it would be installing in-vehicle cameras in all its taxis as an added safety and security measure, with features that take into consideration the privacy concerns expressed by passengers. MHA welcomes such initiatives by taxi operators. We will monitor the outcomes and may consider recommending additional measures when appropriate.”
“The number of accidents between cyclists and motorists at signalised pedestrian crossings and zebra crossings between 2009 and 2013 are shown in the table below. Over the last five years, there were 16 accidents on average each year between cyclists and vehicles at signalised pedestrian crossings and zebra crossings. About one out of these 16 cases each year was fatal. There is no discernible trend in these numbers. The number of cyclist accidents as a whole has generally been on the downtrend over this period, from 592 in 2009 to 371 in 2013 (reduction of 37%). A driver who causes injury or death to a person, including a cyclist, in a road traffic accident may be charged under the Penal Code or the Road Traffic Act. The actual penalties vary according to the circumstances of each case and the degree of culpability of the driver. In egregious cases where there is gross Page: 108 negligence, imprisonment terms have been imposed in addition to lengthy driving bans. The Traffic Police (TP) conduct regular talks and exhibitions to educate the public on cycling rules and safe riding. Cycling-related components are included in the curriculum and driving tests for motorists. For example, learner drivers are taught to give ample room to cyclists when passing them and not to make sharp turns at corners. TP, MOT, LTA and the other stakeholders like the Singapore Road Safety Council also work together through interagency platforms to review and develop appropriate road safety initiatives for cyclists. The Government will consider the suggestion to focus on cyclist safety as part of a road safety campaign.”
“The Civil Service College (CSC) conducts leadership development programmes which bring together about 1,800 officers a year from different agencies to develop a broader understanding of common outcomes, foster Page: 106 esprit de corps, strengthen networks within the Public Service, and provide opportunities to discuss interagency policies and operational issues. A key component of an officer's appraisal is how well the officer works and collaborates with other agencies. This sends a clear signal that the Public Service values officer's contributions to whole-of-Government outcomes. As part of leadership development, selected officers are also rotated across different Ministries and agencies to help them build broader whole-of-Government perspectives and networks. Best Practice Awards for Interagency Collaboration are awarded annually as part of the Excellence in Public Service Awards (ExPSA). In 2014 the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) was conferred this award for partnering agencies to address public feedback on animal-related issues. Singapore continues to confront new and more complex issues which require the Public Service to work more closely across different agencies and new domains, as well as with our people and private sector partners. The Public Service is committed to a continued improvement of its structures, processes and culture of collaboration to achieve collective outcomes. We welcome any specific ideas about areas where the Government can be more coordinated.”
“The new Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) was inaugurated last year to integrate all agencies setting policies and implementing programmes for early childhood care and education. In 2012, the Government also restructured the responsibilities of two Ministries to establish MCCY in order to sharpen focus on social and community issues. There are also inter-agency committees and platforms to deal with issues that span several agencies. These include the National Productivity and Continuing Education Council (NPCEC), the Ministerial Committee on Ageing (MCA), the National Population Committee and the Security Policy Review Committee. To provide better service to citizens, Government agencies have adopted the No Wrong Door (NWD) and the First Responder Protocol (FRP). NWD channels feedback and service requests from a member of the public quickly to the appropriate agency. The FRP requires a "first responder agency" to quickly resolve interagency requests and issues, even while back-end policy and operational issues are sorted out between relevant agencies. These protocols help ensure that feedback and service requests from the public are addressed quickly. ICT platforms and services, such as SingPass, OneInBox and the Online Business Licensing System, enable agencies to streamline and coordinate services at the back-end, while providing a better integrated experience for citizens and businesses at the front-end. Ultimately, the Public Service needs a culture of collaboration and officers who work together to achieve joint outcomes.”
“The Public Service and the various agencies recognise that issues are increasingly complex and interrelated, requiring multiple agencies to work together. Whole-of-Government and interagency coordination is achieved at three levels: strategy, organisation and operations. The Government has established strategic outcomes at the whole-of-Government level. These include: (a) a nation of opportunity; (b) a society that cares for its people; (c) a liveable and endearing home; (d) a safe, secure and influential Singapore; (e) a cohesive and resilient community; and (f) a high-performance and trusted government. These strategic outcomes serve as unifying objectives that our agencies work to achieve together. For example, "A Nation of Opportunity" covers issues ranging from giving opportunities to every child, creating good jobs and sustaining income growth for Singaporeans. These whole-of-Government strategic outcomes facilitate interagency coordination, resource allocation and performance management. Funding and manpower resources are allocated according to these priorities to achieve these shared outcomes. Agencies are evaluated not just on achieving their agency's mandate, but also by how they contribute to these Page: 105 shared outcomes. The Singapore Public Sector Outcomes Report (SPOR) takes stock of how Singapore has fared in key areas of national interest. This allows Singaporeans to see how well our agencies are doing in achieving our whole-of-Government strategic outcomes. When needed, we have restructured organisations to better meet the needs of Singaporeans and to achieve our whole-of-Government objectives.”
“ROM also revoked his moneylending licence and forfeited his security deposit in full. Page: 102”
“The Police have continued to enforce strongly against loan-sharking and related illegal activities. Between 2009 and 2013, there has been a two-fold increase in arrests for unlicensed moneylending (UML) and UML-related harassment offences, from 965 persons in 2009 to 1,953 persons in 2013. Over the same period, the number of reported UML-related cases fell by 55.5% from 18,649 cases in 2009 to 8,306 cases in 2013. These improvements are also attributable to the strong support given to the Police by the community. However, loan sharks are becoming more sophisticated and resorting to new methods to lure unsuspecting victims, such as masquerading as licensed moneylenders. This includes advertising their services via e-mail blasts and SMSes, as Mr Ang has highlighted. Licensed moneylenders are not permitted to advertise their services through such means. While the Police and the Registry of Moneylenders (ROM) do not track the number of complaints relating to SMS advertisements sent by unlicensed moneylenders, both agencies will take immediate action once such information is received. For instance, the Police work with ROM and mobile service providers to terminate the telephone lines that are used by UML to send these advertisements. At its end, ROM has administered warnings to two licensed moneylenders for advertising through SMS. Their moneylending licences were also suspended and part of their security deposits was forfeited. There were two cases where a licensed moneylender was found to be involved in UML activities. The accused persons have been taken to task under the Moneylenders Act. In one of the cases, a licensed moneylender had assisted in his friend's UML business as a runner. He was sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment and fined $210,000.”
“If an aggrieved party wishes to pursue his or her case, there are several options available. One option would be for the aggrieved party to engage his or her own lawyer to bring the defendant to Court in a civil proceeding. Another option would be to lodge a Magistrate's Complaint. Depending on the circumstances of the case, the Magistrate may refer the parties for mediation at the Community Mediation Centre (CMC) or direct Police to conduct further investigations. MHA will continue to monitor the situation and review the need to impose additional measures, legislatively or administratively, in order to protect victims of assault. Page: 101”
“Assault cases span a wide spectrum. The Police will make preliminary enquiries to establish the facts and circumstances for every case that is reported. An arrest would be effected if an assault results in Page: 100 grievous injuries. As for cases where there are minor or no injuries, Police will classify them as voluntarily causing hurt (VCH). Such cases can range from a slap during a family dispute to the use of physical force during incidents of road rage. For VCH cases where there is clear harm to public interest and safety, such as assault in the context of road rage, or which involve vulnerable victims or those who perform public services, Police will initiate action and apply for an order from the Public Prosecutor to investigate the matter. Such cases comprised about 9% of the reported VCH cases over the past three years. Upon the conclusion of investigations, the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) will make the final prosecutorial decision, based on the evidence available. The defendant may be prosecuted or administered with a stern warning and, in some cases, AGC may decide not to take any further action. However, the majority of VCH cases are resolved without further Police involvement. In some cases, the parties involved do not want to pursue the case even after a police report has been made by them or a third party. This is especially true for cases involving family members or friends. It is also often difficult to obtain objective evidence as it may be the word of one party against the other. Hence, Police would normally allow the parties to reach an amicable solution without pursuing the matter further if the case does not involve the aggravating elements described above.”
“Apart from regular officers, the Police Force has a committed Voluntary Constabulary numbering 767, and 3,688 Full-Time National Servicemen and 25,133 Operationally-Ready National Servicemen who also play important policing roles.”
“Over the past 10 years, the Police Force has grown from about 9,000 officers to about 10,300 officers, an increase of about 15%. This number includes uniformed officers and civilians. In terms of Police officers, SPF has seen an increase of 10% in its uniformed staff strength over the same period, from 8,010 to 8,780. SPF has recruited an annual average of 480 Police officers in the past three years, and its establishment is currently 96% filled. The Police Force has grown over the years to build new operational capabilities and to support the roll-out of new initiatives. Since 2008, a total of 1,000 new posts have been added to the Police to support areas, such as the Community Policing Scheme (COPS), investigations at the Police land divisions Page: 96 and Safer Roads Singapore. While growing operational demands will mean that more may have to be recruited in future, we are mindful that there are natural limits to how much further we can grow the Police Force, without compromising the standards that are expected of our officers. Indeed, we will find it challenging to recruit enough officers and enough good officers, due to our ageing population and fewer Singaporeans entering the labour force each year. It is, therefore, important that we not only look at adding to quantity but also make the best use of our Police Officers by deepening their capabilities, by deploying superior operating models and strategies and by leveraging more on technology as a force multiplier and recruiting civilian officers to take on specialised roles, such as in crime scene investigation, where such civilian officers can be deployed to complement uniformed officers. SPF has also raised the retirement age of its officers and re-employed officers beyond retirement age, where appropriate.”
“A budget of $4.4 million was committed for Singapore Day 2014, which was attended by over 9,000 participants. As the event has just been completed, the Overseas Singaporean Unit is still finalising the total expenditure, which should be close to the Page: 95 budgeted amount. Singapore Day is put together with the support of our partners from the private, public and people sectors, many of whom volunteer their services. Wherever possible, our public service agency representatives tie in their participation in Singapore Day with other official duties. For example, MOE, Ministry of Health Holdings (MOHH) and Contact Singapore conducted recruitment sessions in and outside of London in the lead-up to Singapore Day 2014. In total, 182 personnel from Singapore were involved. This comprised representatives from public sector agencies, food crew, concert artistes and production crew. Singapore Days are held in public parks. Many of these parks have stringent environmental regulations that the organiser has to address during the application process and closely abide by during the event. Whenever possible, portable items, such as kitchen equipment used by the hawkers, are recycled for subsequent Singapore Days.”
“Every individual effort, such as using more energy-efficient appliances and modes of transport, will count.”
“We have developed our Four National Taps to ensure a robust and diversified water supply, and embarked on drainage improvement works to better manage flood risks. To address the challenges of food security, our key strategy is to diversify our food sources, supported by other measures, such as reducing food wastage and boosting our industry production capacity and resilience. Singapore contributes to global efforts in emission reductions. We have made an unconditional commitment to reduce emissions by 7-11% below the business-as-usual (BAU) levels for 2020. When a legally binding global climate change agreement for all countries is reached, we will work towards a deeper 16% reduction from the 2020 BAU. As Singapore has limited access to renewable energy, our key strategy in reducing emissions is to improve energy efficiency. We have programmes and incentive schemes in the various sectors to promote energy efficiency. We introduced the Energy Conservation Act last year to require all large energy users in the industry and transport sectors to appoint energy managers, report energy use and submit energy efficiency improvement plans. Singapore supports multilateral negotiations under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) where countries are working towards a post-2020 global agreement. As part of this effort, we are studying how we can stabilise our long-term emissions. Addressing the global challenge of climate change requires the participation of all countries. Singapore is committed to working closely with the global community to address this challenge together. Everyone has a part to play, whether through lifestyle adjustments or changes to business processes.”
“According to the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fifth Assessment Report (AR5), global warming could increase risks of flooding, food insecurity, insufficient access to drinking water, heat-related mortality, breakdown of infrastructure networks and services from extreme weather events, and loss of biodiversity. The report highlights the importance of countries taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while enhancing their resilience to climate change. It is an authoritative document based on the collective assessment of scientists worldwide. I chair an Inter-Ministerial Committee on Climate Change (IMCCC) to oversee how Singapore can help arrive at a global agreement, how to build resilience in the face of climate change and how we can bring down or mitigate our greenhouse gas emissions. These policies, plans and actions are reviewed regularly to take into account international developments and the latest information, such as from AR5. Climate change can impact Singapore’s physical environment. The Centre for Climate Research Singapore (CCRS) was established in 2013 to build local expertise in climate science and help inform policy decisions. The CCRS is collaborating with the UK Met Office, Hadley Centre to undertake our 2nd National Climate Change Study, which will draw on AR5 and develop more detailed projections for Singapore – on climate parameters, such as rainfall, temperature and sea-level rise. These will, in turn, advance the understanding of local impacts of climate change and the necessary measures. We have adopted measures to future-proof our assets. For example, in 2011, we raised the minimum reclamation levels for all new coastal lands by one Page: 92 metre to at least 2.25 metres above the highest recorded tide.”
“Through the competition, students produce videos to help to spread the message of climate change and what individuals can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A new climate change exhibition will also be launched at the Science Centre by the end of this year. Undertaken by NCCS, the Science Centre and the Meteorological Service, the exhibition will help Singaporeans better understand the science behind climate change, through fun and interactive Page: 91 displays.”
“The National Climate Change Secretariat (NCCS) commissioned a survey from September to October 2013 to gauge public perception on climate change. The survey found that about seven in 10 (70.2%) respondents were concerned about climate change, marginally (3.6%) lower than the previous survey in 2011. However, only 39% of respondents felt that individuals should be mainly responsible for taking action on climate change, compared to 56% in the previous survey. The results could have been influenced by the severe transboundary haze that affected Singapore in June 2013. This is because half of the respondents (50.6%) cited "clearing of forests" as the key contributor to climate change. As there is not much that an individual could do to prevent transboundary haze, this could have led to more respondents looking towards the Government to take action. On the other hand, over 80% of respondents indicated that they adopt climate-friendly behaviour – they turn off electrical appliances at the mains when the appliances are not in use, choose appliances which carry an energy label, use public transport or car pool when possible and practise the 3Rs, that is, Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. This is an improvement over the 2011 survey where over 70% of respondents said that they were doing so. NCCS adopts a whole-of-nation approach, working closely with stakeholders in the people, private and public sectors to raise public awareness about climate change and encourage greater personal action. It reaches out to Singaporeans through community events, schools and the social media. For example, to generate greater awareness on climate change among young Singaporeans, NCCS organises the National Climate Change Competition each year for students.”
“The Member asked if there was a case yesterday of a Malaysian who attempted to evade immigration checks. He was stopped according to the procedures and was arrested. Police will take the appropriate action against him. He came through, so far as we know, with no travel documents on him. We are investigating the matter. This incident shows that we do require tight checks on both sides of the border to make sure that there is some redundancy in our checks. There will always be attempts by people to evade customs or immigration checks. This is not unique to Singapore. People will present false documents, they might sneak in and so on. Overall, I would say that our border security is very tight. Although we have detected instances of people either attempting to or inadvertently passing through immigration or customs without proper clearance, we have managed to contain most of them. In the three cases that have evaded and exited the checkpoints, the persons were subsequently arrested and appropriate action was taken. I would say that Page: 16 the measures that have been taken at the checkpoints have been reasonably effective in deterring and containing entry into Singapore by persons or goods that are not allowed to.”
“We are now going to bring all Work Permit and S Pass holders to be automatically enrolled on ICA's Automatic Clearance System by the middle of this year. This will make 95% of all Malaysian motorcycle trips eligible for automatic clearance. What this will do is it will help to speed up clearance of motorcycles, reduce the queues for motorcycles, and, therefore, free up some of the existing capacity for other vehicles. Again, this will help us strike a better balance between speedy clearance as well as tight security.”
“As I had mentioned in the Committee of Supply (COS) debate, manpower for the checkpoints and at ICA has increased quite substantially since we did a review in the mid to late 2000s. A substantial increase in manpower had been provided at that point in time. I would say that our major constraints today are infrastructural because the checkpoints themselves were built some time ago and it is a very tight space. They were built before September 2001. Many of the security measures that are being put in place had been added on to the existing infrastructure at the checkpoints. These measures have, therefore, resulted in some delays to the clearance of particularly vehicles through the checkpoints. We have done a number of things to maintain security while increasing the capacity at the checkpoints. For example, since then, we have reopened the old Woodlands Checkpoint and put in new facilities there, including four additional counters for lorries and 20 additional counters for motorcycles in 2008 and 2009. We are putting in 30 additional car counters by 2016. Today, ICA is already opening up 20 of these car counters during peak periods, Sundays and public holidays. We try to maintain a balance between tight security as well as making sure that we clear cars as smoothly as possible through the checkpoints. Page: 15 Motorcycles contribute another very large volume of traffic at the checkpoints. There are more than 72,000 motorcycles passing through every day. Thirty percent of motorcycles today use the automated self-clearance system. They come up to the immigration counter and both the rider and the pillion clear through automatically. ICA will continue to channel more passengers and vehicles to use these self-clearance modes.”
“Indeed, five hours is a long time. We have looked at the measures and we will be instituting additional measures to take care of this issue. Those who are travelling through the Causeway may see an additional line of barrier. The first objective is to try and prevent people from exiting the checkpoint and to contain cars and individuals within the checkpoint. We are also putting in vehicles which will be able to follow any suspect vehicles that leave the checkpoints. Those are being put in place. In this particular case, Police was able to identify the subject within a very short time because he had cleared immigration. And so, we knew his identity, his address and various other things. They were actually tracking him quite closely after the breach. They localised him and then arrested him. Very early on, Police was able to come to an assessment that this case was not likely to be terrorist-linked.”
“This Committee has updated me on the progress of the review, including enhanced security measures already undertaken – which I had listed earlier – and the need for interim arrangements while wider systems are further improved. MHA views each and every single security breach seriously. If there are gaps and failings in our security regime, be they structural, systemic or individual, we must quickly and thoroughly address them. Commissioner ICA and the other relevant Home Team Department heads have given their full commitment to take concrete actions at all levels to quickly put right any weaknesses, and implement measures to ensure that our border security is tight and effective to keep out all threats. MHA HQ will give them our full support.”
“Following the incident, ICA is replacing the hydraulic components in all the security barriers and is also conducting daily checks to ensure that the security barriers function properly. Mdm Speaker, this was the second incident in two months in which a car had successfully breached Woodlands Checkpoint. After the first incident on 17 January 2014, various immediate measures were implemented to strengthen Page: 13 the security at Woodlands Checkpoint, including tightening the coordination between ICA and Police, improving the response protocols and conducting drills and exercises to validate the response plans and enhancing the supervision of the APOs. Other measures, such as installation of additional CCTVs and enhanced security barriers, are being expedited. ICA and Police will also be deploying mobile crash barriers and tracking vehicles as additional lines of defence to stop suspect vehicles from fleeing the checkpoint and apprehending all suspects. The two breaches show the scale and complexity of the checkpoint operations. This requires a team of officers able to carry out robust and effective measures to prevent and deal with a wide range of threats, including attempts to get through the primary or subsequent layers of security at our checkpoints. At the same time, our land checkpoints have to facilitate the swift and secure clearance of people and goods. Finding the right balance is not easy. A Ministry-level review committee, chaired by Senior Deputy Secretary Khoo Boon Hui and comprising senior representatives from ICA, Police, ISD and other Home Team agencies, has been formed to comprehensively review the security measures at our checkpoints and identify any systemic issues and rectify them.”