More CCTVs, More High-Calibre Guns, More Grassroots Leaders To Fight Terrorists!

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An honorable member of the Coffee Shop Has Just Posted the Following:

IN EVERY shopping mall, metal detectors at its entrances and exits. At football matches and musical concerts, men and women in uniform eyeing your bags, questioning your conscience. Cameras everywhere.

If you think G surveillance is tight these days, expect it to get even tighter over the next five years.

Two days after the Ministry of Home Affairs announced the capture of four Singaporeans linked to armed conflicts under the Internal Security Act (ISA), its commander-in-chief today (March 18) rolled out an ambitious strategy to fight terrorism on home ground.

Citing the spread of terrorist activity in the region, Mr K Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister, sounded an oft-repeated warning: “It is no longer a question of whether an attack will take place, but really, when is an attack going to take place in Singapore.”

The plan was delivered during a speech he gave earlier today at the Home Team Leaders’ Forum, held at the Ministry of Home Affairs at 28 Irrawaddy Road. The annual forum is when the minister addresses Home Team leaders and senior officers on key issues and strategic directions for the year ahead. About 300 officers attended the forum.

Mr Shanmugam described the threat to Singapore as being “at its highest level” in recent years, as the dogma of the terrorist group, ISIS, reached far beyond its Iraqi and Syrian borders. Last year, there were at least 56 attacks that were directed or inspired by ISIS outside Iraq and Syria, the minister said.

“In 2015, we saw the terror threat morph into a very different, newer, much more powerful large monster. It is now a qualitatively different and much more dangerous threat. ISIS presents a far graver threat than Al Qaeda and its affiliated entities ever were.”

In his speech, Mr Shanmugam laid out several counter-terrorism measures planned over the next five years. Here’s a snapshot of what’s in store.



1. Ramping up security measures

More CCTVs will be installed all over the island – this doesn’t just include key buildings like Changi Airport or government buildings, but also “soft targets like entertainment centres, sports facilities and shopping centres,” said Mr Shanmugam. Places with high human traffic – like hawker centres, town centres, and even walkways linking MRT or bus interchanges, will also see more CCTVs.

While he did not say how many more cameras will be installed, the minister said the phased installations of cameras will start later this year. It will be completed over the next four years, on top of the 10,000 extra police cameras already scheduled to be completed at HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks this year.

All CCTV cameras will also be linked in a new network infrastructure that would give the G access to camera data, “on demand”.

“Police will work closely with premises owners to allow Police access to their CCTVs. Members of public will also be able to submit videos to the Police on crowdsourcing platforms. This is a necessary, strategic, and direct response to the evolving nature of the threats,” the minister said.

New legislation and rules will also be enacted to put greater responsibility on premise owners and event organisers to beef up security. This means requiring them to “put in place necessary security measures”, such as ramping up security personnel and screening people via metal detectors, bag checks and security checks before they enter the venue.

Terrorists went after such targets, he said, because there were often little or no security. He gave the recent attacks in a Paris stadium and a mall in Jakarta as examples of this.

“We need to do more, to partner with the private and people sectors to better protect these soft targets… For visitors to these premises, there will be more inconvenience,” the minister acknowledged. “We will all need to get used to more security and bag checks prior to entry.”



2. Tightening the response time

A new team of first responders called the Emergency Response Teams (ERTs) will be launched. Specially trained with counter-assault skills and equipped with more potent weapons, these ERTs are expected to quickly neutralise terrorist threats.

First responders to the scene of a terrorist attack need to be better trained and armed with more firepower, said Mr Shanmugam. Currently, police first-responders are equipped with only revolvers.

When mobilised, the ERTs can arrive at the scene (or multiple scenes, like the Paris attacks) quickly, take down the armed attackers swiftly, and keep the casualties to a minimum, the minister added.

“Day to day, they will patrol the terrain and engage stakeholders, to build familiarity with the areas they will be in-charge of. The aim is to significantly upgrade our immediate response capability.” The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) will also be mobilised during terror threats.



3. Preparing the community

A new nation-wide movement to be rolled out later this year, SG Secure is more than just a public awareness campaign, the minister said. Programmes will be created to teach different groups of Singaporeans what to do during a terrorist attack. This means dividing up the entire nation into smaller groups – neighbourhoods, schools, workplaces, national servicemen and community groups, and then educating them from there.

Said Mr Shanmugam: “SG Secure must become a rallying call for Singaporeans from all walks of life to unite, to play a part in making Singapore a safe place that it is today.”

This serves two main purposes, the minister said. One, so that Singaporeans are prepared to deal with a crisis if it ever occurs; and two, so that the Singaporeans can “be resilient as individuals and as a community”, and bounce back quickly from a terrorist attack.

He said: “So if an attack occurs, we need to be able to recover well. The day after is even more important. We have to emerge stronger, more united and more determined as Singaporeans.”

http://themiddleground.sg/2016/03/18...orism-at-home/


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