http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/more-officers-better/1698802.html
SINGAPORE: The Republic faces three main security challenges - terrorism; transnational and cyber crime; and domestic challenges - which will require the right strategy and additional resources to address, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday (Mar 6).
To counter these threats, the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) expenditure will increase by 11.7 per cent in the coming fiscal year. Over the next five years, the ministry's expenditure will increase from 1.1 per cent of nominal GDP in FY2014 to 1.3 per cent, said Mr Teo at the Committee of Supply 2015 debate in Parliament. About 2,000 more officers will be added to its current pool in five years.
Much of the expenditure increase will go into an increase in spending on new systems and technology, with development expenditure rising from 8 per cent in the past five years to 20 per cent in the coming five years.
THE TERRORISM THREAT
The threat of terrorism has been driven home in recent months by the Sydney siege last December, Paris attacks in January and Copenhagen shooting last month, as well as the rise of the Islamic State.
"The Home Team will continue to deter and deal with terrorism by securing our borders, hardening our infrastructure, and maintaining our capability to respond swiftly and effectively to any threats that come to light," said Mr Teo.
"We will continue to conduct exercises to hone our response, as well as enhance our intelligence capabilities and work with international partners to identify and pre-empt terrorism threats."
But no matter how the authorities and the Home Team plan to counter such threats, Mr Teo said the key to security in Singapore lies in the hands of the people. He highlighted the "key role" community and religious groups as well as individuals play in preventing and deterring terrorism, and in maintaining social cohesion and harmony in the aftermath of an attack.
"Individual Singaporeans play an important part in maintaining vigilance. If you notice signs that a friend or family member has possibly been radicalised, you should alert the authorities. Acting pre-emptively could help stop them from harming themselves and protect others from harm," he said.
"As Singaporeans, we must continue to build on what we have in common, rather than accentuate our differences. We must also carry on with our daily lives, reach out to each other, and not allow fear to paralyse our society."
The Police will improve its existing platforms for members of the public to send in videos on crime related information, Mr Teo added.
ONLINE THREATS
To tackle cyber crime, a new Cyber Security Agency will start operations on Apr 1, reporting to the Prime Minister's Office, with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim appointed the Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security.
This realm of threats is a key concern with critical systems - such as power generation and banking - increasingly reliant on computers and the Internet, said Mr Teo, who noted that both government and corporate entities worldwide have been targets. He also noted the rise of "hacktivists" who disrupt Web services to promote their causes.
"Globalisation has made it easier for criminal groups to plan criminal activities outside Singapore, carry them out here, and enjoy the proceeds of their crime elsewhere. With the Internet, and electronic transfer of funds, criminals also find it easier to operate across borders, and to enter new markets," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Finally, Singapore faces a number of domestic challenges, said Mr Teo. The ageing population has meant a 31 per cent increase in the number of ambulance calls from 20019 to 2014, when the number of citizens aged 65 years and above grew from about 318,000 to 415,000. Increased ease of travel has also meant a 33 per cent increase in the number of people passing through our checkpoints daily in the same period.
MORE OFFICERS, BETTER TECHNOLOGY
To deal with the challenges, in the next five years, another 2,000 officers will be added to the Home Team to cope with increasing traveller volumes, boost frontline policing and emergency medical services, and improve response to public order incidents and fires, Mr Teo said.
For example, the Police started recruiting officers for the Special Operations Command last year, and aim to recruit about 150 officers to the SOC by the end of 2015. A total of 300 officers will be added to the SOC by 2017, he said.
To help retain talent, more opportunities will be provided for Home Team officers to advance into the senior ranks, said Mr Teo. "These measures will ensure that we are an employer of choice."
National Servicemen are also a key component of the Home Team, he said, noting that at least two out of the four firefighters in every SCDF fire vehicle responding to fires daily are Full-Time NSmen. "We will provide more comprehensive training and meaningful deployments for our NS personnel," he said. More NSmen will be deployed to the frontline of SCDF and Police duties.
Along with an increase in manpower, technology and systems will be upgraded as "force multipliers", Mr Teo said. Recent innovations include the new Police command and control system and Police Operations Command Centre, which commenced operations last November, and the installation of Police Cameras in all HDB void decks by the end of next year.
Concluding his speech in Parliament, Mr Teo said: "Safety and security have been the foundation of our social stability and economic progress. We will make timely investments to build a capable and future-ready Home Team, with committed and well-trained officers, who effectively use systems and technology, and take our partnership with the community to the next level.
"Through this inclusive and comprehensive approach, we can build a safe and secure home together."
Basically--become a police state
SINGAPORE: The Republic faces three main security challenges - terrorism; transnational and cyber crime; and domestic challenges - which will require the right strategy and additional resources to address, said Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Teo Chee Hean on Friday (Mar 6).
To counter these threats, the Ministry of Home Affairs' (MHA) expenditure will increase by 11.7 per cent in the coming fiscal year. Over the next five years, the ministry's expenditure will increase from 1.1 per cent of nominal GDP in FY2014 to 1.3 per cent, said Mr Teo at the Committee of Supply 2015 debate in Parliament. About 2,000 more officers will be added to its current pool in five years.
Much of the expenditure increase will go into an increase in spending on new systems and technology, with development expenditure rising from 8 per cent in the past five years to 20 per cent in the coming five years.
THE TERRORISM THREAT
The threat of terrorism has been driven home in recent months by the Sydney siege last December, Paris attacks in January and Copenhagen shooting last month, as well as the rise of the Islamic State.
"The Home Team will continue to deter and deal with terrorism by securing our borders, hardening our infrastructure, and maintaining our capability to respond swiftly and effectively to any threats that come to light," said Mr Teo.
"We will continue to conduct exercises to hone our response, as well as enhance our intelligence capabilities and work with international partners to identify and pre-empt terrorism threats."
But no matter how the authorities and the Home Team plan to counter such threats, Mr Teo said the key to security in Singapore lies in the hands of the people. He highlighted the "key role" community and religious groups as well as individuals play in preventing and deterring terrorism, and in maintaining social cohesion and harmony in the aftermath of an attack.
"Individual Singaporeans play an important part in maintaining vigilance. If you notice signs that a friend or family member has possibly been radicalised, you should alert the authorities. Acting pre-emptively could help stop them from harming themselves and protect others from harm," he said.
"As Singaporeans, we must continue to build on what we have in common, rather than accentuate our differences. We must also carry on with our daily lives, reach out to each other, and not allow fear to paralyse our society."
The Police will improve its existing platforms for members of the public to send in videos on crime related information, Mr Teo added.
ONLINE THREATS
To tackle cyber crime, a new Cyber Security Agency will start operations on Apr 1, reporting to the Prime Minister's Office, with Dr Yaacob Ibrahim appointed the Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security.
This realm of threats is a key concern with critical systems - such as power generation and banking - increasingly reliant on computers and the Internet, said Mr Teo, who noted that both government and corporate entities worldwide have been targets. He also noted the rise of "hacktivists" who disrupt Web services to promote their causes.
"Globalisation has made it easier for criminal groups to plan criminal activities outside Singapore, carry them out here, and enjoy the proceeds of their crime elsewhere. With the Internet, and electronic transfer of funds, criminals also find it easier to operate across borders, and to enter new markets," said the Deputy Prime Minister.
Finally, Singapore faces a number of domestic challenges, said Mr Teo. The ageing population has meant a 31 per cent increase in the number of ambulance calls from 20019 to 2014, when the number of citizens aged 65 years and above grew from about 318,000 to 415,000. Increased ease of travel has also meant a 33 per cent increase in the number of people passing through our checkpoints daily in the same period.
MORE OFFICERS, BETTER TECHNOLOGY
To deal with the challenges, in the next five years, another 2,000 officers will be added to the Home Team to cope with increasing traveller volumes, boost frontline policing and emergency medical services, and improve response to public order incidents and fires, Mr Teo said.
For example, the Police started recruiting officers for the Special Operations Command last year, and aim to recruit about 150 officers to the SOC by the end of 2015. A total of 300 officers will be added to the SOC by 2017, he said.
To help retain talent, more opportunities will be provided for Home Team officers to advance into the senior ranks, said Mr Teo. "These measures will ensure that we are an employer of choice."
National Servicemen are also a key component of the Home Team, he said, noting that at least two out of the four firefighters in every SCDF fire vehicle responding to fires daily are Full-Time NSmen. "We will provide more comprehensive training and meaningful deployments for our NS personnel," he said. More NSmen will be deployed to the frontline of SCDF and Police duties.
Along with an increase in manpower, technology and systems will be upgraded as "force multipliers", Mr Teo said. Recent innovations include the new Police command and control system and Police Operations Command Centre, which commenced operations last November, and the installation of Police Cameras in all HDB void decks by the end of next year.
Concluding his speech in Parliament, Mr Teo said: "Safety and security have been the foundation of our social stability and economic progress. We will make timely investments to build a capable and future-ready Home Team, with committed and well-trained officers, who effectively use systems and technology, and take our partnership with the community to the next level.
"Through this inclusive and comprehensive approach, we can build a safe and secure home together."
Basically--become a police state
