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SINGAPORE: Singapore is not just focused on its own safety and security but is prepared to do its part to help fellow neighbours when they are in need, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Friday (Apr 4).
He was responding to a question on the significance of the Home Team during humanitarian missions such as in Myanmar, which was hit by a deadly 7.7-magnitude earthquake last week.
The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) on Mar 29 sent an 80-member team to Myanmar to assist in rescue efforts. Over the past two days, the Singapore Armed Forces deployed two C-130 planes to deliver aid to the country, while the Ministry of Health also sent a 34-member emergency medical team to help.
Mr Wong was speaking to reporters during a visit to the Punggol Neighbourhood Police Centre and the co-located Punggol Fire Station, his first official visit as prime minister to the frontline units of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and SCDF.
Mr Wong, who is also finance minister, was accompanied by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, Acting Commissioner for the SPF How Kwang Hwee and Commissioner for the SCDF Eric Yap.
UNCERTAIN GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT
During the interview, Mr Wong was also asked if the role of organisations such as the Home Team has changed amid a different global climate and the threat of radicalisations.
"We are now in a more troubled, a more uncertain, a more volatile environment globally. The importance of security and safety for Singapore is something we cannot take for granted," he said, adding that the government will continue to invest in its capabilities to maintain a high level of trust and confidence in its safety and security forces.
The visit to the police centre and fire station was a chance for him to familiarise himself with what the Home Team is doing.
"But importantly, to say to all our Home Team officers, thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, your courage and your commitment to serve," he added.
During the visit, Mr Wong was briefed on some of the latest training and operational capabilities of the Home Team, such as the police's handheld jammer guns to counter drones, and the new fast response car with advanced features such as automated number plate recognition.
SCDF also demonstrated its "smart classroom" with Virtual Reality and Extended Reality training systems, and the electric pump ladder, dubbed as Southeast Asia's first fully electric firefighting vehicle.
Several of the latest technologies are a result of collaborations with HTX (Home Team Science and Technology Agency). But not all technology needs to be homegrown, Mr Wong said.
"We, of course, want to nurture and groom and get some of that anchored within Singapore, but we also learn from the best and in so many different places," he added.
There may also be more technology-enabled crimes including threats from unmanned vehicles and unmanned autonomous vehicles.
"With all these new threats that continue to emerge, our own capabilities have to improve, and we are always focused on harnessing the best technologies to make sure that we have an effective Home Team," the prime minister said.
HIGH MORALE AMONG NSMEN, NSFs
At SPF, this year marks 50 years of National Service, which commenced on Jul 24, 1975, to supplement the regular police force.
Currently, there are more than 43,000 operationally ready National Servicemen (NSmen) in the Home Team and more than 7,000 serving full-time with the SPF and SCDF, the two organisations said in a joint news release.
During his engagement session with NSmen and full-time National Servicemen (NSFs), Mr Wong was glad to see that they continue to have a "high level of morale" and that their NS journeys have been fulfilling.
"It's different from serving NS in the SAF. Naturally, here you are in the police and SCDF, it's a different experience, but still no less meaningful, no less important," said Mr Wong.
"You are dealing with live operations all the time … You are on the ground, you may be called to fight a fire, put your life at risk, to rescue other people. You may be called to apprehend some suspects. You may be called to do investigations on the ground.
"So the police and SCDF work is crucial to keep Singapore safe, to keep Singaporeans safe."
