Committee of Supply − Head P (Ministry of Home Affairs)

The Chairman: Head P, Ministry of Home Affairs. Mr Christopher de Souza.

Reinforcing Our Fight Against Terrorism

Mr Christopher de Souza (Holland-Bukit Timah): Madam Chair, I beg to move, "That the total sum to be allocated for Head P of the Estimates be reduced by $100."

Last year, 2016, the clear and present danger of terrorism was made even clearer to us in Singapore. Why do I say this? In May 2016, it was revealed that "eight radicalised Bangladeshi men were detained under the Internal Security Act (ISA) for plotting terror attacks in their own country, that they would meet in parks or open fields and share large amounts of radical propaganda and videos." Another five investigated under the ISA were repatriated.

It was reported that Singapore could have been a target. Essentially, if they had been directed to attack in Singapore, they would have attacked.

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In August 2016, the Indonesian police foiled the plan for a rocket attack on Marina Bay. It cannot get clearer. The threat of terrorism is real and the battle against it is for every Singaporean to bear. Being vigilant against an attack and staying united for an attack vest on our shores is key. If we stay united as one people, we will be successful in denying any terrorist his victory. We are very fortunate to have a dedicated, professional and reliable Home Team. That Home Team is a key pillar in our battle against terrorism, but it is not a fight for that team to bear alone.

Singaporeans must play their part alongside dedicated Home Team officers to keep vigilant against terror threats. Such threats come in many forms ‒ acts of actual violence, radical ideology preaching discord, funding of terror cells or glorification through the Internet of senseless causes. Couple all of that with the trend around the world, in which governments start to look inward and become fervently nationalistic. These trends and movements could fuel further global discord among peoples of different cultures and ethnicity.

Singapore and Singaporeans must resist these negative global trends and tides and never allow them to envelope Singapore. Thankfully, through initiatives, such as the ethnic integration programme in public housing and Racial Harmony Day, the different cultures and ethnic groups in Singapore are able to enjoy harmonious relationships. Nevertheless, we must continue to work at it. We cannot take it for granted. Why? Because in multiracial societies, where peoples of different creeds and races intermingle, the risk of flashpoints is higher. Singapore is no exception, and we have to be careful when we encounter incidents which may become potential flashpoints.

For example, as recent as this week, I read that a Police report was made about an imam who was alleged to have made offensive remarks against Christians and Jews. It was assuring to read in that same report that the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS) took the courageous and generous position when it stated that, "MUIS takes a serious view of any behaviour or speech which promotes feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will among different faith communities." What we have attained, what we have enjoyed, we need to maintain, nurture and strengthen.

In light of these challenges, I seek an update from the good Minister, in particular, how is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA): one, tracking overseas terror threats; two, isolating potential threats from within Singapore society; three, reinforcing our enforcement response, such as manpower, equipment and the updating of our standard operating procedures against such threats; four, bolstering our communal response by strengthening multiracialism and national unity should a terror threat vest in Singapore.

Furthermore, one, how can we carefully manage potential flashpoints? Let me repeat that because it is important. How can we carefully manage potential flashpoint incidents and strengthen our racial and religious harmony which is vital to Singapore in peacetime as well as in the aftermath of a terrorist attack? Also, how is MHA ensuring Singaporeans continue to welcome globalisation instead of turning isolationist, since we all know an isolationist Singapore will lead to her severe detriment.

Let us not let our guard down. Let us strengthen our fight against terrorism and let us stand together with our dedicated Home Team in this collective fight against those who seek to do us harm.

Question proposed.

The Chairman: Dr Tan Wu Meng, please take your two cuts together.

Terrorism

Dr Tan Wu Meng (Jurong): The terrorism threat remains alive and real. We need to be vigilant so that, as a society, we are ready for whatever comes our way ‒ leaders, public servants, citizens standing together as one.

Can the Ministry update us on the threat situation internationally, regionally, domestically? We also need to actively study the new and innovative terror tactics that we are reading about around the world, so that we can learn how best to counter them. Tactics that are using household items, such as knives, tactics that use easily available equipment and vehicles as weapons. Likewise, we also need to protect our society from self-radicalisation, especially with the proliferation of online recruitment, extremist propaganda and social media tactics.

Counter-terrorism and SGSecure

Looking to our landscape, we are densely populated. Many population centres happen to be soft targets for those seeking to do us harm, such as schools with young children, shopping centres with members of the public, Mass Rapid Transit and bus stations which, if shut down, could affect a wide transport network and even our hospitals, with the sick and elderly who cannot be evacuated as easily as the able-bodied. Many of these population centres are in our Housing and Development Board (HDB) heartlands.

All these pose unique challenges for rapid responses against a terrorist attack. Can MHA update us on how we are upgrading our counterterror efforts and how we are enhancing Home Team capabilities and SGSecure so that, as a whole of society, we are equipped to deter and, if needed, respond?

SGSecure

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan (West Coast): Since we launched the SGSecure movement last year, can MHA share the progress of its outreach efforts, in particular, in the community as well as in workplaces? I urge MHA to work with the community and businesses to recruit SGSecure Ambassadors at every HDB block and at every workplace. These ambassadors can help spread the SGSecure message and be trained in first aid, automated external defibrillators (AED) and skills to handle the community or workplace response in the event of a terrorist attack, especially the day after.

In my Boon Lay constituency, we have recruited about 500 SGSecure ambassadors last November and look forward to training them this year. In fact, the first training session starts in a fortnight. I hope MHA can give full support through funding the training, exercises and our outreach to the residents and community.

Updates on SGSecure

Ms Rahayu Mahzam (Jurong): From my conversations with people, there appears to be an increased awareness of SGSecure. It is important to ensure that everyone remains vigilant and aware of what needs to be done in the event of a terror attack. I, therefore, would like to know the update on the implementation of SGSecure. Are there means to measure the level of awareness and preparedness of the community?

I note grassroots and community leaders are being trained to equip them with the knowledge and skills to handle a terror crisis. Multiracial and multi-religious sensitivities may arise and community leaders play an important role to ensure that the community stays strong and united. The Community Emergency and Engagement Committees (C2E Committees) and the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) have undergone some exercises to learn about handling the situation in the days following a terror attack. I was fortunate to observe these exercises and would like to highlight the following.

One, the exercises were done separately for the C2E committees and IRCCs but there was overlap in the grassroots leaders and community organisations involved. The exercises were also similar and there did not appear to be a clear delineation of the roles the different committees play. Perhaps, there could be better coordination of what is to be done by the different groups on the ground.

Two, the information on the community networks that can be relied on to provide support during times of emergency was not updated. Following from the exercises, the community leaders were asked to continue building and updating their networks within their local communities. It would be useful to provide them with specific guidance on how they should go about doing this.

Three, there were queries on the chain of command and the extent to which the community can take initiatives. Perhaps, more resolution can be given in future trainings.

I believe coordination of the exercises can be improved. I would like to hear the Ministry's efforts to train the community leaders.

On the issue of multiracial and multi-religious sensitivities which I spoke about earlier, like Mr de Souza, I also read about the recent case where an imam was alleged to have made offensive remarks about Christians and Jews, and we have seen reactions from netizens. Would the Ministry be able to give information on this case?

Grading for Security Agencies

Mr Zainal Sapari (Pasir Ris-Punggol): Madam, the private security industry is increasingly becoming an important part of our security landscape. I fully support the mandatory annual security exercise that was introduced in 2009 to ensure higher standards of security requirement can be maintained. That said, I would like to ask the Minister for Home Affairs whether a review could be done on this annual grading exercise.

Firstly, I would like to call on MHA to ensure greater transparency of standards. Could MHA provide clearer guidelines and share the benchmarking process used in the assessment?

Secondly, private security agencies have expressed their concerns with regard to the frequency of this grading exercise, which is conducted annually from June to May, meaning that agencies are perpetually in a grading mode. Considering that most of the 250 agencies are small and medium enterprises, perhaps the Police Licensing and Regulatory Department (PLRD) can look at reviewing the timelines in between the grading exercises.

Finally, the union is also concerned with the perception that the grading exercise seems to be inconsistent in their ratings based on anecdotal examples shared by the unionised private security agencies. Some agencies risk losing their right to secure a site because their grading slipped a notch. The officers consequently will either have to change employers to stay on the same site or have to relocate to another site, all of which create considerable constraints. We hope MHA or PLRD can review this as well.

The Chairman: Ms Sylvia Lim, you have three cuts. Please take them together.

Auxiliary Police

Ms Sylvia Lim (Aljunied): Mdm Chair, first, the Auxiliary Police. The need for additional resources for policing is clear. The population of Singapore is now more than 5.6 million, compared to 4.4 million in 2006, a 1.2 million increase over 10 years. More people mean a higher population density, increased interaction and proximity, more potential for crime and more assets to protect.

Over the last few decades, the role of the Auxiliary Police has expanded exponentially. From an initial brief of static guarding of key installations to accompanying cash in transit, the Auxiliary Police are now in roles that require them to interact with the public in a variety of scenarios, such as crowd control, management of prisoners, checkpoint security and policing liquor control zones. The training of the Auxiliary Police has been enhanced, but is it adequate to ensure that the Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) are equipped to meet the challenging needs of handling complex and unpredictable situations? Policing Singapore is complicated by the fact that our population consists of 1.7 million non-resident foreigners.

In answer to a Parliamentary Question I filed, the Minister has confirmed that Certis Cisco has obtained approval to recruit officers from Taiwan due to manpower shortages. I wonder whether the shortage will lead to a compromise in recruitment standards. Several Singaporeans have expressed to me their concern about foreign APOs walking around with firearms. Related concerns also crossed my mind, in particular, in the wake of the Little India riots in 2013, when it was clear from the incident reports that quite a number of the APOs at the scene were not Singaporeans. What security risk is posed by having foreign APOs carrying firearms? What risk mitigation measures are in place? What about psychological testing? Is it time to consider arming APOs, especially fresh recruits from overseas, with less lethal weapons, such as stun guns?

Safeguards during Police Investigation

Next, I move on to safeguards during Police investigations. Singaporeans want the Police to be effective. At the same time, the criminal justice system needs to balance state power with due process and ensure that investigations are conducted lawfully, with suspects accorded their constitutional and legal rights. One of the safeguards proposed by myself and others during previous Committee of Supply (COS) debates was to video-record the process of the recording of statements from suspects.

As argued previously, such a procedure will also save the state from spending time to address frivolous challenges in Court and protect officers from false allegations. The Ministry had indicated that it would do a pilot project in the first quarter of 2016.

Last October, I was disappointed to learn from a Parliamentary answer that the Government had decided to put the initiative on hold, pending putting the legal framework in place. Could the Minister elaborate on the rationale and when we can expect the pilot to commence?

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Secondly, the right to counsel upon arrest has also been debated in the past. Article 9 of the Constitution guarantees the right to consult the legal practitioner to a person under arrest, but case law has held that this right is subject to the exigencies of Police investigations. During the COS debate 10 years ago, in 2007, there was a pilot announced to give early access to counsel. What is the status of that initiative?

Finally, there is an issue about the length taken to complete the investigations. In some cases, the individual under investigation may suffer in his ability to earn a livelihood while the investigation continues, for example, when a person's vocational licence to be a public bus or taxi driver is suspended or revoked during the pendency of investigations. Sometimes, cases hang for months with no visible investigative step being taken. This leaves the accused person in indefinite limbo and unable to earn a living. Could there be a monitoring mechanism to ensure that such cases are investigated with a certain haste?

Youths Facing Criminal Proceedings

Finally, I wish to touch on young suspects and their rights in a criminal justice system, in particular, those aged 16 and 18.

Singapore has acceded to the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC). This is one of the few human rights treaties that Singapore has acceded to, showing the importance our country places on this set of international obligations. Article 1 of CRC defines children as persons below the age of 18. Under Article 4 of CRC, Singapore is obliged to undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures for the implementation of the rights recognised in the Convention.

However, Madam Chair, our Children and Young Persons Act (CYPA) defines a child to be a person below the age of 14 and a young person to be between the ages of 14 and 16. This means that children between the ages of 16 and 18 are not covered by the protection under CYPA. For instance, children in Singapore between 16 and 18 years old are not protected by section 35 of the CYPA which prevents the media from publishing their particulars or identifying details of those under 16 years old involved in Court proceedings. This gap in our law is not consistent with our CRC obligations as Article 40 obliges state parties to ensure that every child up to the age of 18 has his/her privacy fully respected during criminal proceedings.

Children between 16 and 18 years old are also not protected by section 29 of CYPA which protects those under 16 years old from being detained for adult offences. This gap in our law is again not consistent with our obligations under CRC as Article 37 obliges state parties to ensure that every child up to the age of 18 is detained and separated from adults.

Consider this, at 17 years old, many of our sons and daughters are still wearing school uniforms in junior college or attending polytechnic or Institute of Technical Education. Until they reach the age of 18, surely they could be given the full protections Singapore has signed up to provide under CRC. Otherwise, what is the point of signing this treaty?

Madam, turning to the framework we do have, I note the Minister's commitment to extend the Appropriate Adult scheme to young suspects under the age of 16 in the light of the suicide of 14-year-old Benjamin Lim. I hope the Ministry will have a legislative framework to entrench the Appropriate Adult scheme and extend it to those below 18. Will the Ministry also consider admitting parents of such suspects to act as Appropriate Adults?

Skills Training for Ex-offenders

Dr Tan Wu Meng: Many drug offenders are already disadvantaged socio-economically − troubled backgrounds, disrupted lives. I have met some at my Meet-the-People Sessions in my constituency and what they tell me is that it is not just a stigma that gets in the way of returning to society meaningfully but also the skills gaps, especially when industry and job practices change during the years of incarceration. So, this is why, in prison, rehabilitation must continue to include skills training to help employability upon release.

I would like to ask if MHA is studying the skills background of incarcerated Singaporeans. In particular, what efforts are being made to improve the skills of our fellow Singaporeans who are in prison, so that they can have better odds of finding a job and reintegrating into society upon release?

Training for Prison Inmates

Mr Leon Perera (Non-Constituency Member): Mdm Chairperson, the role of the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) to be a place where strayed lives can be steered back on course is crucial and deserves the support of the whole of society.

In August last year, during the debate on the SkillsFuture Singapore Agency Bill, I asked the Minister for Education to consider how to push training and education content via, say, an e-learning platform to those serving prison sentences. I am raising this again and I would like to highlight two statistics from the Singapore Prison Service.

In 2014 to 2015, despite only a 1% decline in the total number of inmates, there was a 7% decline in the number of inmates trained in 2014 and a 6% decline in 2015. There was also a 4% decline in the number of inmates engaged in work programmes.

Why are fewer inmates getting access to training programmes? Can we consider different ways of enabling training for prisoners? Can SkillsFuture support our prisons by providing more platforms for education and training content for our inmates?

Pushing training to prisoners will facilitate the rehabilitation process help make them productive workers and even, possibly, entrepreneurs in their future. SkillsFuture can be used for e-learning or for training conducted within incarceration or detention premises. In the United States (US), we hear examples of prisoners obtaining university degrees while serving their sentences. As SPS says, serving time should never be a waste of time.

The Chairman: Mr Louis Ng, please take your two cuts together.

Strengthening Family Ties during Rehabilitation

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang (Nee Soon): I visited a Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) and saw first-hand the work our Captains of Life do. While the recidivism rate has remained stable at around 26%, it is worrying to me that almost 60% of drug abusers arrested were repeat offenders. Even more worrying is that statistics that the more times we incarcerate someone for drug offences, the higher the chances he or she will be incarcerated again.

A significant focus of the rehabilitation process is to ensure that inmates secure a job when they are released. I feel an equally important factor is whether they have family support when they are released. Only a third of DRC inmates use their full quota of two 30-minute visits per month. This is a clear sign that inmates lack family support and this is a problem that might have existed prior to their drug problem. Strained family ties were perhaps one of the reasons they consumed drugs in the first place. We need to address the root of the problem.

Can the Minister share what plans it has to strengthen family bonds during rehabilitation? Can we provide more classes on parenting, better communication with spouses and other such classes? Can we strengthen the current family programme, especially the joint session component?

Strengthening Resolve for Rehabilitation

Next, I recently watched a very touching video of children of prisoners reuniting with their fathers behind bars for a day in a US prison. I watched fathers in tears as they realised how much they missed their children and perhaps how their actions have hurt their children. I saw in the eyes of the fathers the resolve to be rehabilitated so that they can spend not just one day but the rest of their lives with their children. And I also saw what that one day meant for the children as, ultimately, they are the real victims. I strongly feel we should introduce this programme in our prisons. With stronger family bonds, a prisoner's rehabilitation process will be more effective.

Will the Minister consider piloting this programme in our prisons? I have seen too many residents whose spouses are repeatedly incarcerated and how their families have been torn apart. A key part of the rehabilitation has to be rebuilding these bonds.

Partnership with Community Organisations

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: As we navigate the uncertain times ahead and the future economy, we must always remember the vulnerable in our community and ensure that there are continued efforts to support them. One group that we should not lose sight of are those incarcerated and their families. I believe it is important to continue ensuring that there are proper rehabilitation and support upon release from prison so that they can continue living their lives and participate in the future economy just like everyone else. Difficulties in getting a job or stable income in a challenging economy can contribute towards some segments of the community succumbing to committing a crime, drug abuse or re-offend.

In this regard, I believe it is important to review the efforts in tackling offending, re-offending and drug abuse. We should look at these holistically and see if there can be collaborations and partnerships with community organisations. Within the Malay/Muslim community, we see organisations, such as Pertapis and Jamiyah, supporting this effort.

More can be done to involve some Malay/Muslim organisations in helping individuals and families in this area. I would like to ask about the Ministry's current efforts with the Malay/Muslim organisations and whether there are plans to work with them further on this matter.

The Necessary Battle against Drugs

Mr Christopher de Souza: Madam, in 2016, the number of new drug abusers arrested increased by 3% from 2015, out of which, close to two-thirds were below 30 years of age. It is a matter of concern and we should be concerned.

The method of obtaining drugs has also changed. Most alarmingly, the accessibility of the Internet has been exploited by drug traffickers. In fact, the number of people arrested for buying drugs and drug-related paraphernalia online increased significantly from just 30 in 2015 to 201 in 2016. Most of those found to have obtained drugs or drug-related paraphernalia online were between the ages of 20 and 39.

In light of these recent developments, what measures are MHA and the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) taking action to deter the supply of drugs into Singapore? What percentage of the total prison population are serving sentences for drug-related offences?

In order to tackle the drug problem holistically, rehabilitation is also vital. After the drug abusers are put into DRCs, what measures are taken to rehabilitate them with the mind to reduce recidivism rates?

Dr Tan Wu Meng: Can I take both cuts together?

The Chairman: Yes, please.

Minimising Second-generation Drug Offenders

Dr Tan Wu Meng: When a drug offender is incarcerated, it is a double tragedy − one life poisoned by drugs and drug culture; the family affected, too, especially the children.

I would like to ask whether the Ministry is studying the socio-economic outcomes of the children of drug offenders? Is there a higher risk of intergenerational offending or becoming incarcerated, too, all things being equal? And how can we prevent a cycle of tragedy?

Protecting Our Young from Drugs

Going upstream, we see that, in the West, there is an emerging movement to sugar-coat the drug problem. And with globalisation, the drug culture can easily spread, including to our shores. How do we inoculate our young Singaporeans at an earlier age so that they do not pick up the habit, so that they resist peer pressure and "fake news"? Among offenders, what is the average age of starting getting younger? And how can we prevent the problem from taking root in our schools and educate our young?

New Security Challenges

Mr Gan Thiam Poh (Ang Mo Kio): Madam, the nature of crime is evolving in Singapore. While violent crimes, robberies and theft have been trending downwards, cybercrime is increasing.

As more of our interactions and transactions go online, so do criminals. Cyberattackers stealing money, information and data are costing individuals and companies here millions of dollars a year. Millions more are lost through e-commerce cheating, online scams and ransomware.

The Internet also facilitates transactions of illegal goods and services. The number of arrests for buying drugs and drug-related items online has jumped six-fold. Vice activities are also increasingly being coordinated online.

Even recruitment by terrorists is also being conducted online. The arrests of self-radicalised Singaporeans last year highlighted the danger of terrorist activities here.

How will MHA leverage technology to transform frontline operations so that our Police Officers can react to security breaches and emergencies quickly? What measures are in place to help the Home Team stay updated and equipped to cope with new security challenges and increasing demand? Would the Ministry consider increasing recruitment to boost our ability to deal with security crises?

MHA's Partnership with Community

Mr Murali Pillai (Bukit Batok): Mdm Chair, let me first congratulate the Ministry and the Home Team for their achievements last year in keeping Singapore safe and secure. Our crime rates continue to be low and responses to emergency calls remained prompt. Overall, residents feel safe in their neighbourhoods and public confidence in the Home Team continued to be high.

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These are commendable achievements in the face of increasing threats to peace and security globally.

Of course, the heavy responsibility of protecting Singapore does not and should not rest on the Ministry and the Home Team alone. We must recognise that this is a collective responsibility which requires the combined effort of all of us who call Singapore our home.

The Ministry nonetheless has to take the leading role in coordinating this effort. Apart from what has already been done, how does the Ministry propose to further strengthen its partnership with the community in the combat against crime, corruption and terrorism?

The Chairman: Mr Desmond Choo, please take your two cuts together.

Manpower Transformation

Mr Desmond Choo (Tampines): The security landscape today is more uncertain and complex than ever. Yet, we face tremendous manpower constraints while ever more resources are needed.

We need to especially up our ingenuity when resources are thin. We need to operate differently and maximise technology to free up our precious manpower resources for more critical, on-the-ground work. The Home Team has embarked on a transformation journey. Can the Ministry update on the progress? And what are the challenges to be tackled in this journey?

In this transformation, I envisage building up a new Home Team unit comprising officers recruited and trained from Day 1 to tackle threats in an integrated manner. Crimes of the future will be more complex and will cut across traditional agency domains. These officers become the links across our current agencies, facilitating whole-of-Home Team work.

It is also critical to have an integrated interagency training and operations command. There is a greater need for cross and networked sensing to pre-empt threats and we must be nimble in tackling new and evolving threats. How can we train and equip for such sensing capabilities?

With a 2% reduction in MHA's budget, how do we ensure that our safety and security are not compromised? Firstly, we must never stop investing in our people. They need best-in-class training and be well-resourced. Next, use technology and streamline our work processes to take administrative work away from our officers whose best work are out on the streets and on the frontline.

Technology does not replace old-fashioned security work. Ground work requires experience. Our veterans are vital mentors. There is a need to review their retirement age to retain this valuable resource. We must also use technology to help our older officers work longer and more productively. An enlarged civilian scheme, akin to the Singapore Armed Forces' (SAF's) Military Expert scheme, will buttress competencies in the Home Team.

NS50

Over the past 50 years, more than 260,000 men have served National Service (NS) or are serving NS with the Home Team. I had the privilege of serving with some of the most dedicated and professional full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and NSmen. They held their own with the regulars. Three new Home Team clubhouses will be set up within the next 10-15 years. This is good news for Home Team officers. In view of their outstanding contribution to Singapore and patriotism, I would like to know how the Ministry had recognised or intend to honour our Home Team NSFs and NSmen.

At a time when security demands are escalating, every NSF and NSman count. How can the Ministry better equip, train and deploy our officers? Many NSmen continue to want to play key roles in protecting our homeland. I encourage the Ministry to leverage the professional expertise of our NSmen. For example, many of our NSmen go on to become cybersecurity experts, financial experts or lawyers. They would be better served in continuing similar roles or training positions during their reservist.

We can also be innovative in our deployment. Can the Ministry consider having NSmen to sign up for non-security sensitive projects that NSmen can sign up for, much like an MHA version of upwork.com? These can include community outreach projects. There is also a group of highly trained ex-regulars who can be grouped together for more involved Home Team projects.

While our NSFs serve the nation wholeheartedly, we should also help them embark on their careers post-NS. I would like to suggest providing in-depth career counselling and career preparation courses for NSFs by working with the Labour Movement. Can they also be provided with grants to upgrade themselves while serving their NS?

Our Home Team NSFs and NSMen from the Home Team have served with distinction. They are an indispensable part of our security blanket. Let us continue to develop them into a force to be reckoned with.

The Chairman: Mr Christopher de Souza, please take your three cuts together.

Reducing Remote Gambling

Mr Christopher de Souza: Given the destructive consequences problem gambling can bring to the family of a gambling addict, what measures are we taking to further reduce the incidence of remote or online gambling?

Would MHA provide an update on the efficacy of the remote gambling regulatory regime, in particular, whether the number of problem gamblers has increased or decreased following the introduction of the exempted operator regime?

Would MHA also provide the clamping down of illegal gambling through the recent regulatory framework?

Offences Against Minors − Support Needed

Madam, in the constituency I serve, there have been instances where parents have shared with me that, very unfortunately, their children have been sexually assaulted by adults. These parents are of the view that their children were molested. I see the anguish in their eyes and the concern they have for their children.

One of the main desires of these parents is for the Police to accord priority to these cases and conclude the investigations as fast as they can. This is because the parents do not want to prolong the anguish of the child and, also, the child may find it difficult to recount the evidence as time goes by.

Therefore, would the Minister direct their investigations into sexual abuse against minors be prioritised and expedited for the sake of the child and the parents?

Parliament must also support the Home Team in ensuring that a strong message is sent to the culprits or potential culprits that society does not condone preying on innocent children.

The Battle against Cybercrime

Madam, cybercrime comes in many forms – online cheating cases involving e-commerce, credit-for-sex and Internet love scams. Each form is dangerous. Each cybercrime leaves the victim in a highly vulnerable state. Some cybercrimes target Government frameworks. Such invidious acts threaten our national security. As there is a need to remain vigilant against all forms of cybercrime, would MHA kindly provide this House an update on (a) its recent and upcoming initiatives to enjoin Singaporeans to battle cybercrime; and (b) what has been done to minimise the incidence of cybercrime and mitigate its effects?

The Chairman: Minister Shanmugam.

The Minister for Home Affairs (Mr K Shanmugam): Madam, if I may make some observations as a background context for many of the questions that had been raised.

First, the fundamentals of law and order in Singapore are very strong. The overall crime rate in 2016 was the lowest in the last three years and we were again ranked first in the Gallup's Law and Order 2016 Report. That report studied the public's sense of safety and the public's confidence in the Police Force.

Mdm Chair, there has been discussion about the Public Service in the last two days. In that context, let me share with Members a Public Perception Survey that the Police conducted last year, the results of which came to me yesterday. The results will put in context the general discussion on Public Service.

On the question of the public's sense of safety and security, 92% rated general safety and security in Singapore as "good" or "very good". Ninety-two percent is quite astounding. The top three reasons were low crime rates, more Police around and fast response to crimes. These again give the context to what most people think. Ninety-three percent felt safe walking in their neighbourhood at night and that was attributed to a highly effective Police Force, more Police presence and, again, quick arrest of criminals.

If you think about it, 93% feel safe at night in a public space. You will not get this result anywhere in the world. New Zealand and Hong Kong, also known for good safety, carried out their own surveys. They had 75% of people feeling safe at night. If you go to other first-world cities, I suspect the figures will be much less and, in some cities, you will find much less than 50%.

Almost half of the public said that installation of Police Cameras at housing estates made them feel safer. An incredible number of the public hold the Police in high regard. Eighty-seven percent regarded the Police as a world-class crime fighting organisation. Ninety percent believe that the Police are ready to deal with any major law and order incidents and are well-prepared to respond to future security needs. So, if we ignore some of the artificially created online attacks on the Police, this is what people on the ground really believe, as opposed to Members coming here and trying to make it out that people say this and people say that and trying to create the impression that the majority believe it. I have no doubt some people believe and I have no doubt that Members are honest when they put it out. But you got to have context. Eight-eight percent felt that the Police provide a high quality of service.

All of this reflects the extraordinary level of faith and trust Singaporeans have in the Police Force. I have no doubt that the same goes for the other Home Team departments. I believe, for example, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) ranks very high in the people's assessment.

Many law enforcement agencies around the world will envy this. All of these have been possible because of several factors. But a key and critical factor is the immense dedication and commitment of our Home Team officers. This is a survey on the Police Force but, at the broader level, it also gives a perspective to the discussions about the Public Service.

Singapore is where it is today because of three key reasons: excellent political leadership, excellent Public Service and excellent quality of our people who are extraordinarily capable. If any one of these factors were absent, we would be in a very different position.

I can understand the frustration of Members in individual cases. All of us face these cases. They arise for a number of reasons, for example, structural reasons, interagency issues. But in perspective, these cases are the exception and not the rule. In a large majority of cases, our public servants are outstanding, dedicated. They go well beyond the call of duty and serve with heart. And I know the Members who spoke share this view. I spoke with Er Dr Lee Bee Wah and Mr Louis Ng and they confirmed this to me. And Nominated Member Kuik Shiao-Yin has made a Facebook post setting out her thinking along these lines.

It is, therefore, good to see the position in context. Without an outstanding Public Service, we would not be here. And without an outstanding Public Service, we would not get to where we want to be. Many things go right, so we do not think about them. The Public Service works very hard so that the rest of us can go about our lives seamlessly.

Mdm Chair, I will now focus on three areas: terrorism, SGSecure and drugs.

In the public perception survey I mentioned earlier, 4% felt less secure compared to two years ago. Of those who felt less secure, almost half attributed this to the threat of a terror attack. Terrorism remains a key concern of the public, not only for those who felt less secure, but also those who felt secure but felt that the Home Team will easily handle it.

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Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Tan Wu Meng asked about the threat situation in respect of terrorism. The threat of terrorism continues to be high. The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)-related attacks were carried out in Indonesia and Malaysia last year. With your permission, Mdm Chair, may I have some slides displayed on the light emitting diode (LED) screens?

The Chairman: Yes, please. [Some slides were shown to hon Members.]

Mr K Shanmugam: The southern region of the Philippines may become an ISIS province or wilayat. It has experienced a wave of terrorism-related attacks. Most recently, on Sunday, a German was beheaded by the Abu Sayaaf Group.

ISIS seems to be concentrating on the Southern Philippines. In 2016, four militant groups established an umbrella group called the Islamic State Philippines (ISP) and pledged their allegiance to ISIS. ISIS also endorsed ISP leader, Isnilon Hapilon, a leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group in Basilan, as "amir", or supreme leader, for Southeast Asia. We need to watch this carefully. The area can attract would-be terrorists from the region and become a safe haven to trained terrorists who can then come back to harm us.

Within Singapore, we took security action against nine Singaporeans last year. The Home Team has taken significant efforts to strengthen our computed tomography capabilities in 2016. Mr Christopher de Souza and Dr Tan Wu Meng asked for an update on this.

First, we launched the Police Emergency Response Teams (ERTs). Our ERTs are on the ground daily. They are spread out across Singapore. They patrol public places, such as malls and stadiums. They talk to building owners and operators and they familiarise themselves with their operating environment and are trained to respond swiftly to neutralise threats.

Two, we sharpened our operational preparedness with major public exercises. In October of last year, we conducted the largest counterterrorism exercise to date, involving more than 3,200 participants. It tested the island-wide response of Home Team and SAF officers for terror threats.

Three, we enhanced our Police Camera coverage and video analytics capabilities. We completed the installation of Police Cameras in all 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks under Police Cameras (PolCam) 1.0. The House was updated on that. We have started installing cameras in public areas − towns and neighbourhood centres and hawker centres. Over the next few years, we will install about 11,000 Police Cameras at 2,500 locations island-wide.

We will also develop video analytics capabilities from 2018 onwards and we will continue to strengthen our capabilities through 2017. Amongst these steps, I will share two examples.

One, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has started to enrol iris images. This will help ICA more accurately verify a person's identity. For travellers, if they face difficulties with fingerprints, they can still do self-clearance, as long as their iris matches.

Two, to further enhance our frontline response capabilities, the Police plan to equip frontline officers with pistols. Pistols will give our officers better firepower, compared to revolvers. They have up to three times more ammunition.

On dealing with terrorists, our position is that we will deal with anyone who engages in conduct that is potentially a trigger for terrorism. If necessary, we will detain the person. Otherwise, the person may be counselled or placed on a Restriction Order. ISA allows us to do this and that has helped avoid what has happened in other places. Let me quote two examples that have been widely reported in the media.

First, Jamal al-Harith. According to media reports, he is a British citizen. In 2001, he was picked up by American forces in Afghanistan. He was detained in Guantanamo Bay. In 2004, he was released without charge and repatriated to the United Kingdom (UK). He launched a claim against the UK government and was reportedly awarded a million pounds. In 2014, he left the UK to join ISIS in Syria. Last month, he reportedly carried out a suicide bomb attack in Mosul.

There is much debate and concern within the UK whether the government's compensation was used to fund ISIS. It is not a question of whether the UK approach was right or wrong. Each country has got to decide its own approach. But it is basically a question of how much risk you are prepared to take with such people. We believe people in our society will not want to allow this to happen here. In Singapore, Jamal would have been detained under ISA. Singaporeans accept a tighter security framework.

The second example is Anis Amri, the Tunisian truck driver, who drove a truck into the Berlin Christmas Market last December. Between 2011 and 2014, he served a four-year prison sentence in Sicily for several crimes, including arson. He arrived in Germany in July 2015. He visited radical mosques, mingled with extremist preachers and was linked to extremist networks. The German authorities had him on their radar. Security services closely observed him. But the laws did not allow the authorities to pre-emptively arrest him or produce him in court. Unable to find sufficient evidence as required by them, the monitoring stopped in September 2016. The state police chief said that they had "exhausted all legal powers to the limit to ward off potential dangers". Three months after the monitoring stopped, in December, the Christmas attack took place.

We should not reach that stage in Singapore. The trade-off for us is between taking a greater risk or intervening earlier. And my view is we must be able to intervene early and decisively.

Mdm Chair, Mr Christopher de Souza and Ms Rahayu Mahzam spoke about the Police report lodged over an imam's remarks on Christians and Jews. The imam is reported to have quoted a verse from the Quran and he seems to have said, I quote, "God grant us victory over Jews and Christians", amongst other things. And he seems to have repeated it and said it more than once. Investigations are ongoing. We will know the context of what he said once the investigations have finished.

At this stage, let me say this to make clear the Government's position. If the imam had referred to the phrase to say, for example, that such phrases can promote ill-will, hatred, enmity or violence against other communities and that this is not acceptable in a multi-religious society, then there can be no objection. But if he had said that Jews and Christians should be defeated and for God to grant Muslim brothers victory over them, to make that very point, then that is completely unacceptable. And if any Member disagrees, I welcome him or her to stand up and clarify.

The Government has taken a strict position when Muslims have been attacked. People have been charged and sent to jail. There have been many examples. Let me give one. In 2009, a Christian couple was sentenced to eight weeks' jail for distributing publications that cast Islam in a negative light. The same applies to any attack on any other religion. We will not tolerate any religious preaching that encourages violence or seeks to pit one religion against another.

If the imam had not made any inflammatory suggestion, no action will be taken and we will issue a public statement. But if he did, indeed, make such suggestions or had engaged in such preaching, then some appropriate action will be taken. We have to be fair to the imam. Thus, I have set out the position in the broadest possible way, outlining the Government's position so that everyone is clear where, as a matter of principle, the Government stands on these issues.

Even as we make clear that we do not fully know the exact context in which the imam spoke, the Government's position has to be made clear because matters like these have the potential to escalate with people jumping in, opinions being formed, hardened along religious lines.

A National University of Singapore (NUS) academic, Khairudin Aljunied, has come out to criticise the individual who made public what the imam has said. Mr Aljunied has encouraged vilification of that individual. Looking at what Mr Khairudin Aljunied has said, he seems to suggest that it is okay for the imam to say that Jews and Christians should be defeated. He assumes that the imam intended to mean that and Mr Khairudin Aljunied sees nothing wrong with that, even if the imam had intended the meaning of his words. Mr Khairudin Aljunied's position and actions are quite unacceptable. He has jumped into this without verifying the facts and without checking the context. He supports a position that is quite contrary to the norms, values and laws in Singapore.

The Police will look into the issues and the conduct of everyone involved quite thoroughly. When such issues arise, it is best that parties referred it to the Police. Going public may inflame the views further.

This brings us to SGSecure. In September 2016, we officially launched SGSecure. The objective is to have at least one Prepared Citizen in every household who knows how to recognise and report suspicious behaviour and items, protect their family and themselves and keep calm and reach out to others in times of crisis.

To achieve this, we have embarked on an extensive outreach effort. Mr Patrick Tay, Dr Tan Wu Meng and Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked for an update.

Our Home Team officers, NSmen, volunteers and grassroots leaders have been conducting house visits. During these visits, they explain to residents how they should respond in the event of an attack and encourage residents to participate in SGSecure programmes. We will push ahead with our efforts in 2017.

We also launched the "SGSecure in the Neighbourhood" programme. We revamped the Emergency Preparedness (EP) Day in 2016. Residents learn skills, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and first aid. Live exercises sensitise residents to the threat of attacks and train their responses. We will roll it out across all 89 constituencies over the next two years.

We will expand our outreach efforts to workplaces in 2017. We will train public officers in SGSecure skills. We will partner the Ministry of Manpower, the National Trades Union Congress and the Singapore Business Federation to engage unions and businesses. We will have SGSecure briefings and conferences, customised EP Days; and CT seminars for industries, such as the security, manufacturing and hospitality sectors. We urge companies to come forward and join us.

This year, we will also focus on strengthening community cohesion and resilience. We need to make sure our community comes together as one united people after an attack.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam spoke about how we can improve the training of our community leaders to respond after an attack. We have begun to pilot the Crisis Response Exercises (CRX) within the constituencies. CRX will involve C2E committee members, IRCC representatives and other community stakeholders in the neighbourhood, such as schools and merchant associations. They will work together in a simulated attack scenario to assist the community after an attack and to manage potential communal tensions and restore social cohesion.

Second, our Home Team psychologists will partner the People's Association. Together with psychologists from the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), they will support and train grassroots leaders to provide swift and effective psychological first aid to affected residents after an attack.

Mdm Chair, Mr Desmond Choo asked how NSmen can contribute to the Home Team's efforts beyond their NS call-up. Our NSmen play an important role in SGSecure and they can be active responders in emergencies, whether on or off their NS duties.

Some of our NSmen have also stepped forward to mobilise their communities, for example, SCDF NS Commander Lieutenant-Colonel (LTC) (NS) Raizan bin Abdul Razak. He works with his local grassroots at Tampines West to raise awareness of the terrorism threat and rallies fellow SCDF NSmen to promote SGSecure in their neighbourhoods and social circles.

We celebrate Home Team NS50 this year. A series of events and initiatives that have been lined up to recognise the importance of contributions of our NSmen made towards nation-building. We will continue to count on them also in the fight against terrorism.

Mdm Chair, I will now turn to the threat of drugs. The New York Times ran an article in January this year on what it called the "Killer Drug Epidemic" in the US. Across the US, cheap smuggled heroin is "handed out like candy". In 2015, more than 33,000 people died from opioid abuse and that does not include the number who died due to gun-related violence but linked to drugs. The 33,000 figure is higher than the number killed due to pure gun homicide. Babies are now being born with drug dependency. Entire neighbourhoods are affected and there is little hope for young people in these neighbourhoods.

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The article told the story of a young 24-year-old girl who was doing well in school. Unfortunately, she developed anorexia. That led to alcohol, then drugs. She got addicted, went in and out of rehabilitation eight times, still unsuccessful. And to pay for her drugs, she lied to her family, pawned her mother's jewellery and went into prostitution. Countless others die, either through drugs or through drug-related violence.

There are hundreds of thousands of such examples across the world. Singapore is one of the few countries in the world that has dealt effectively with the drug problem. Our approach − we have a tough legal framework against traffickers and abusers. We are firm and relentless in enforcement. We carry out intensive efforts to educate Singaporeans on the dangers of drug abuse, and all this is complemented by comprehensive rehabilitation measures.

The Economist ran a major article in January this year. It said that Asia's harsh anti-drug policies are falling out of step with the rest of the world. It criticised these policies as needlessly severe and probably ineffective. Yet, it had to concede that Singapore's drug consumption is admirably low. It caveated that by saying that this is because we are small, have secure borders, little corruption, effective anti-drug education and laws that allow searches without warrants and detention without trial.

Apart from our size, none of the other factors happen by themselves. They are the result of our policies and many years of hard work. There is strong public support, both for our tough laws and our approach. Singapore's example demonstrates that the vision of a drug-resistant society is not impossible with the right policies properly executed.

The same Economist article referred to me as "Singapore's Fearsome Law and Home Affairs Minister" and it quoted my speech at the 2016 UN General Assembly, where I said, "Show us a model that works better, that delivers a better outcome for citizens and we will consider changing. If that cannot be done, then don't ask us to change." I do not accept the description "fearsome". But I will not flinch from taking a position in Singapore and outside Singapore that I believe is in the interest of our people. In this context, let me also put to rest one other myth.

Recently, there have been some suggestions that international pressure will cause us to deviate from our policies. And the death penalty was referred to in that context. Such suggestions are delusional. We do what is right for Singapore. A penalty will be in the books if we believe it to be right, and it will be removed if we believe that removal is the right thing to do, and not because of any international pressure.

The challenge of keeping Singapore drug-free is increasing. First, there are growing threats from the region. Southeast Asia continues to be a major market and producer of illicit drugs. Myanmar and Lao PDR account for 22% of the total global area used for illicit opium poppy cultivation. The trafficking of ice and heroin in the region generates over US$32 billion. This lucrative black market has attracted criminal syndicates from Africa, Iran, South Asia, Mexico and, of course, China. Singapore will be overrun by these syndicates, if we do not take a tough approach.

Our neighbours share our concerns. They, too, want to be drug-free. Their challenges are somewhat different. We will continue to partner them as we work towards a united position in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The second challenge is that the number of new drug abusers in Singapore has increased. Close to two-thirds of new abusers in 2016 were under the age of 30. A survey conducted by the National Council Against Drug Abuse in 2016 found that young people below the age of 30 were more open-minded towards drugs, as compared to a similar 2013 survey. This is a worrying trend. Dr Tan Wu Meng also raised similar concerns.

This problem is compounded by the rise in online drug availability. Online black market sites allow users to buy drugs anonymously. Drugs are couriered in small parcels, unmarked, innocuous-looking and difficult to track. The young are especially susceptible. Many of us may think that only young people from low-income households are vulnerable. But the Task Force on Youths and Drugs commissioned a study in 2014. It found that most young cannabis abusers come from either middle or high socio-economic backgrounds. Many of them did well in school. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will take active measures, together with our community partners, to tackle this concern. My Parliamentary Secretary will elaborate on this.

Third, there is increasing international pressure to adopt a softer "harm reduction" approach. We have to remain steadfast in our resolve to keep Singapore drug-free. We will continue to work with our partners, at regional and international platforms, to safeguard our position.

The Chairman: Senior Minister of State Desmond Lee.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Mr Desmond Lee): Madam, there have been some 25 minutes of savings from MINDEF's COS. In order for Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin and I to address the remaining cuts, may we have Mdm Chair's indulgence for us to take that extra time?

The Chairman: I give my permission. Please proceed.

Mr Desmond Lee: We will be brief, Madam.

Madam, over the past few years, the Home Team has been transforming to meet future challenges. This year, we are shifting gears significantly from planning to implementation. I will cover three aspects of this transformation.

First, we are ramping up the use of technology to better combat crime, secure our borders and save lives. Second, we are further integrating the Home Team's operations, so that we can more effectively deal with evolving and complex threats. Third, we are strengthening the Home Team's partnerships with the community, because everyone has a stake in keeping Singapore safe and secure.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Mr Desmond Choo spoke about leveraging technology. We are doing so across the whole spectrum of our operations. One example is the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They give our officers a bird's-eye view of the situation and allow them to make better ground decisions. We have begun to deploy UAVs to support Police and SCDF operations.

For instance, in the Tuas View Circuit fire just last week, after the fire was extinguished, the UAV located hotspots in the large area which were otherwise out of sight from the firefighters. This allowed SCDF to act quickly and prevent the hotspots from re-igniting the fire. We will train our officers to use technology and help them adapt to new ways of working. Indeed, our people are central to our transformation. Officers will deepen their skills and master new ones. We will redesign jobs as new technologies are introduced.

One example is ICA's automated self-clearance lanes for motorbikes at our land checkpoints. ICA officers who no longer have to man the counters as a result can now be trained and redeployed to detect suspicious travellers and manage incidents on the ground.

Mr Desmond Choo also highlighted the need for Home Team departments to work together. We have taken steps to further integrate Home Team operations. For example, we are co-locating the various departments' operation centres. So, by the end of this year, officers from the Police, CNB, SCDF and ICA will sit side-by-side at the Police Operations Command Centre, enabling faster communication and information sharing and enhancing coordination of ground responses to incidents.

Mr Murali Pillai spoke about the importance of the Home Team partnering the community, and I agree. An active citizenry that is invested in the safety and security of Singapore is essential to the Home Team's work. We have, therefore, stepped up efforts to strengthen partnerships between the Home Team and the community. Let me share an example of the Save-a-Life initiative by SCDF, to illustrate. Madam, I will now speak in Mandarin.

(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] The Save-a-Life initiative by SCDF seeks to increase peoples' awareness of first aid and build a nation of lifesavers. Trained community responders can become first aiders to provide initial response to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest cases. We will scale up community involvement in three ways.

First, we will equip citizens with the skills to help those who suffer a cardiac arrest. About 2,000 residents have been trained in CPR-AED skills under the Save-A-Life initiative. In the coming years, we hope to train more than 24,000 residents, or about 300 residents, per constituency.

Second, we will install more AEDs across Singapore. Currently, there are close to 460 AEDs installed in eight constituencies. By 2019, there will be one AED for every two HDB blocks in all constituencies across the whole island.

Third, we still need to find a way to bring help to persons in need. This is where the SCDF's myResponder app comes in. The app alerts its users if there is a report of somebody suffering from cardiac arrest nearby.

I urge more people to learn CPR-AED, download and use the myResponder app, and be part of our life-saving force.

(In English): Aside from individual citizens, businesses have an important role to play in Singapore's security. We will amend our laws this year to require businesses to adopt certain measures to guard against security threats. We will amend the Public Order Act to require certain events to put in place security measures. We will also introduce a Bill to enact a new Infrastructure Protection Act.

In imposing these requirements, we are mindful of the potential impact on businesses. We will take a practical approach so as to keep the cost of such measures reasonable. This is a cost which terrorism has imposed on society as a whole. The Government has borne a significant share of this cost. Communities have been roped in to play their part through SGSecure, and we seek the business community's understanding that these measures are necessary as a shared effort to keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe.

Another important partner in ensuring Singapore's safety and security is the Private Security Industry. The quality of our private security agencies has improved. The Progressive Wage Model has also laid the foundation to raise the skills, wages and productivity of our security officers. To build on these developments, MHA will work with the tripartite partners to develop an Industry Transformation Map (ITM) for the Private Security Industry, with a strong focus on innovation and technology, as well as the upgrading of jobs and skills of our officers.

Mr Zainal Sapari highlighted areas for review in the Security Agencies Grading Exercise (SAGE). In working on the ITMs, we will certainly take his comments and suggestions into account.

Ms Sylvia Lim raised some concerns about having foreigners as APOs. The reality is that there is a shortage of APOs, as Ms Sylvia Lim also acknowledges. It has not been possible for the Auxiliary Police Forces to recruit only Singaporeans. Our supply is limited. So, we have to decide what to do. What are our options? Do we live with the shortage of APOs and compromise on overall security when we need to deploy officers, or do we find other sources to meet these needs?

We have carefully considered the options and have decided to allow the recruitment of foreign APOs. They supplement our Singaporean APOs to meet our security needs. They are properly screened to ensure that they are suitable for security work and we also make careful assessments with regard to where they are deployed, and this is reviewed from time to time. We have not heard of a more effective proposal.

Ms Sylvia Lim was concerned about foreign APOs bearing arms. There are already, since the 1970s, non-Singaporean APOs carrying arms − these are the Malaysians. Anytime we give weapons to people, there is that risk.

We have had isolated cases of both local and foreign APOs misusing their arms. There is a risk when equipping people. But we have to arm our officers with weapons, if the risk assessment and operational needs so require, so that they can carry out their tasks and protect our installations. Not doing so may compromise our security even more. We have to recognise and manage the risks through screening, training and supervision, whether it is an APO of Singaporean or foreign origin who is equipped with arms.

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Our priority is still to increase the number of Singaporean APOs. Singaporeans APOs are employed on better terms than foreigners, and the Auxiliary Police Forces have stepped up efforts to attract more Singaporeans.

I will now respond to other questions from Members. Mr Christopher de Souza asked for an update on cybercrime. Cybercrime continues to grow in scale and complexity. Last year, MHA launched the National Cybercrime Action Plan. Under the plan, we have stepped up efforts to raise public awareness, as prevention remains key. The Police's Scam Alert portal educates members of the public on the latest scams and we launched an Anti-Scam Helpline in November last year for members of public who wish to seek advice on potential scam situations. We are also enhancing our agencies' capabilities and strengthening our legislation, so that we remain effective in fighting cybercrime.

Mr Christopher de Souza also asked for an update on the exempt operator regime under the Remote Gambling Act. As exempt operators, Singapore Pools and Singapore Turf Club have to put in place a very extensive suite of safeguards. It is too early to draw conclusions on the impact of the regime on problem gambling. MHA and MSF will continue to monitor the situation and adjust our regulation, if necessary. The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has also stepped up public education and outreach on problem gambling.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about how the rights of the accused are safeguarded during Police investigations. She also made observations on the time taken for Police investigations, in the context of people who hold vocational licences. When a Police report is lodged and there is a prima facie case, the Police have a duty to investigate. Investigations will invariably impact those involved, such as accused persons, victims and witnesses, and we understand this.

Regulatory agencies that issue licences, including vocational licences, have a responsibility to consider the potential risks to the public and to assess whether there is a need to suspend or revoke those licences. In the case of vocational driving licences, the suspension or revocation is determined by the Land Transport Authority. They consider each case and whether the commuter's safety is at risk. If this creates hardship, then we should immediately refer these individuals to social support agencies so that they get assistance. I assure the Member that the Police will conduct investigations as speedily as possible. Although they try to expedite investigations, they also require sufficient time to conduct a thorough and fair investigation, and some cases will take longer to investigate.

This applies as well for investigations into alleged sexual abuse against minors, which Mr Christopher de Souza asked about. The Police treat such cases with great urgency. But speed should not come at the expense of due process, diligence and sensitivity. Utmost care is taken to support child victims during investigations.

For example, investigations are carried out in private consultation rooms designed to provide a safe and comfortable environment. Investigation officers are specially trained to use interviewing techniques sensitive to the welfare and emotional state of the child. We are also working with agencies to reduce the number of times a victim has to recount his or her experience to different parties.

On providing early access to counsel, we need to be fair to the accused, but also to the victims and to society as a whole. We should protect the rights of the accused without prejudicing the rights of the victims and the safety and security of society. We have, therefore, taken the approach of granting access to counsel within a reasonable time after investigations begin. This has served us well.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked about the status of the video recording of interviews (VRI) pilot. My Minister had spoken about it last year. The Member may refer to that Statement. Essentially, we have consulted the legal community and, after taking into account the feedback that they have given, we have decided it would be better to put in place the necessary legislative amendments before starting the pilot. The work to amend the legislation is ongoing. We are also configuring VRI-enabled interview rooms for our law enforcement agencies and enhancing training for our officers. We will announce details in due course.

For youths between 16 and 18 years old facing criminal charges, which Ms Sylvia Lim spoke about, there are various protective measures in place. Offenders in this age group are usually dealt with by the Community Court, which is committed to restorative justice and rehabilitation. These offenders could be asked to undergo family conferences or offender-victim mediations.

Youths below 19 years old who commit minor offences can also be diverted from prosecution in Court to community-based rehabilitation programmes, such as the Guidance Programme and Enhanced Streetwise Programme.

In October 2015, MSF, MHA and the Attorney-General's Chambers started a review of the Criminal Justice System for youths. The Committee has made several recommendations, including to further strengthen the protection of youth offenders between the ages of 16 and 18 and raising the threshold under CYPA to 18 years of age. The Government is presently studying the recommendations and will announce details in due course.

Ms Sylvia Lim also asked whether parents could be allowed to be Appropriate Adults. There is the risk that some persons related to the young suspect would face difficulties staying neutral during the interview. Therefore, we prefer a neutral third-party, with no direct interest, to be the Appropriate Adult. This will achieve the objective of providing emotional support to young suspects without unduly interfering with the investigation process.

In conclusion, the Home Team is committed to staying ahead of challenges by harnessing technology in new and innovative ways, further integrating our operations and partnering the community. Together, we will continue to keep Singapore safe and secure.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin): Mdm Chair, I thank Members for their support for the Home Team's work and I will speak on two areas: first, the scourge of drugs; and second, the rehabilitation and reintegration of ex-offenders.

Mr Christopher de Souza asked about our drug situation and the strategies to combat this trend. The overall drug abuse situation in Singapore is under control. In 2016, there was a 3% drop in the number of drug abusers arrested compared to 2015, but there are areas of concern. Close to two-thirds of the new drug abusers arrested were below the age of 30, and we are also seeing more cases of students abusing drugs. Therefore, we cannot take our foot off the pedal in the fight against drugs.

Even with our tough drug laws and active enforcement, we remain vulnerable to the global and regional drug trade. Minister Shanmugam highlighted the situation in the Golden Triangle, as well as the cross-border drug syndicate activities. We must continue to strengthen our enforcement efforts and regional cooperation. CNB works closely with its foreign partners to target syndicates which attempt to supply drugs to Singapore. For example, last December, CNB and the Malaysian Narcotics Crime Investigation Department (NCID) coordinated operations to successfully nab an elusive Malaysian and his associates who were supplying a sizeable amount of drugs into Singapore. At the same time, we need to reduce demand and step up preventive drug education so that Singaporeans know the dangers of drugs.

Dr Tan Wu Meng highlighted the growing movement overseas to sugar-coat the drug problem. Our youths are not immune from this influence. On the Internet, our youths see drugs being glamourised. They read about the legalisation of cannabis overseas and they hear that drugs like cannabis are less harmful and addictive. But this is not true.

A review conducted by experts at Singapore's IMH found that cannabis is both harmful and addictive, and chronic exposure to cannabis during adolescence is linked to lower intelligence quotient and possibly irreversible decline in cognitive performance lasting into adulthood. The World Health Organization has also compiled research which found that regular cannabis users were more likely to take other drugs like heroin and cocaine.

To better engage youths and extend outreach, CNB has developed a multi-pronged strategy.

First, CNB has been increasing their social media presence and they have produced videos to convey accurate information on the harms of drugs. These are shared online, as well as during drug prevention talks and roadshows.

Second, CNB is piloting a new initiative to establish positive "influencers" in peer circles. Youths from the Institutes of Technical Education, polytechnics and universities have signed up for the pilot of an Anti-Drug Advocate (ADA) Programme. These youths will learn about the harmful effects of drugs and Singapore's drug policies. They will visit halfway houses and DRCs, hearing first-hand accounts from ex-abusers on how hard it is to kick the drug habit. These youths will see what is really at stake if they try drugs. We hope the experience will encourage them to start their own initiatives to spread the anti-drug message to their friends.

We need more people to step forward to spread the anti-drug message. Prevention is our first line of defence, and a key part of the battle is won if we keep our people away from drugs. However, when someone starts to abuse drugs, we must help them to stop. And it is vital that we curb the vicious cycle of re-offending and prevent the spread of drug to non-abusers.

Last year, CNB arrested a man for drug trafficking. He mixed with bad company, picked up drugs and never successfully quit. What happened next was worse. He taught his two young sons, aged 19 and 20, to smoke "ice". He got them addicted and even supplied their habit.

We share Dr Tan Wu Meng's concern on the impact of drug abuse on the family. If we do not succeed rehabilitating offenders, their families, including their children, may end up becoming victims or offenders. Curbing intergenerational offending starts upstream, and this applies to both drug abuse and crime. This is an area which we are working with other agencies to better understand and tackle.

The rehabilitation process starts upon admission. Inmates are assessed for their risk of re-offending and severity of drug abuse and, depending on risk levels, inmates undergo different programmes which address criminal thinking and addiction issues. They also undergo family support programmes, religious programmes and skills training.

To ease their transition back into the community, they can later be emplaced in a halfway house or on home detention. Under the Day Release Scheme introduced last year, first-time lower-risk inmates can also go out to work and study during the day. We hope these measures help inmates better reintegrate into society.

Mr Louis Ng asked about the role of family support in rehabilitation. Indeed, this is one of the key factors that motivates ex-offenders to rebuild their lives and to keep themselves away from re-offending.

The SPS partners Fei Yue Family Services and Lakeside Family Services to provide structured family programmes for inmates − workshops to help better understand the impact of their crimes on their families and build their parenting and communication skills.

SPS also works with community partners like the Salvation Army to conduct family sessions in prison. During these sessions, family members are allowed to enter the Prison to spend time with the inmates, and they are designed to encourage bonding between inmates and their children, and they serve as powerful reminders to inmates that they need to turn their lives around. These family sessions are also held during special occasions, such as Mothers' Day, Fathers' Day and Children's Day.

Other than helping the inmate, SPS also helps their families. The grassroots-led Yellow Ribbon Community Project (YRCP) was established to help the families and children of inmates cope by connecting them to the national social support networks. YRCP has assisted more than 5,000 families. We recognise that family ties are vital to the inmates' rehabilitation, and family support is especially important after the inmates' release. Thus, the community's long-term involvement is vital to ensure continuity in these efforts.

Madam, I understand that my time on the clock has run out. Can I proceed to finish up my answer?

The Chairman: Yes, try to keep it short.

Mr Amrin Amin: Sure. Besides family support, employment is another critical factor for successful reintegration. Employment provides the ex-offenders with a sense of purpose and income to help meet their families' needs. The Singapore Corporation of Rehabilitative Enterprises (SCORE), its partners and employers play key roles by providing training and job opportunities for inmates.

Dr Tan Wu Meng and Mr Leon Perera asked about skills training for offenders during and after incarceration. SPS and SCORE conduct training programmes that are aligned with the Workforce Skills Qualifications (WSQ) framework. This year, SCORE will commence the WSQ Advanced Training for inmates during incarceration. Courses include the Certified Operations Professional training where inmates are trained to be operations professionals in the manufacturing industry or technical supervisors in other industries. Completing these courses also helps inmates to pursue WSQ Diploma courses upon their release.

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To keep up with increased automation in our workplaces, SCORE will introduce courses for inmates on the use of workplace smart devices, such as tablets. These skills will help inmates to be more competitive when they join the workforce upon their release.

SPS and SCORE work together with agencies, such as Workforce Singapore, to fund these courses for inmates. The combination of training and employer support have helped many inmates re-enter the workforce. And over the last three years, more than 95% of inmates referred to SCORE successfully secured jobs before their release.

Inmates can use their SkillsFuture credits during their stay at halfway houses or after their release. And SCORE informs inmates about SkillsFuture programmes and works with halfway house operators to encourage residents to attend courses.

In 2016, SCORE also worked with employers to pilot a new initiative where ex-offenders are sent for further skills upgrading if they perform well at work. So far, more than 260 ex-offenders have benefited from this.

Through the multiple rehabilitation programmes, we help inmates and their family cope with their difficult situation.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam asked about our partnerships with Malay/Muslim organisations to tackle offending, re-offending and drug abuse. Madam Chair, I will now speak in Malay.

(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] MHA has formed close partnerships with the Malay/Muslim community to tackle the issue of offending and re-offending.

We have achieved good progress in recent years. I am encouraged by the progress made by our Malay/Muslim community. The strong support of our Malay/Muslim volunteers is invaluable in helping our ex-offenders start afresh. Many people from our community have stepped forward to play a role in supporting the rehabilitation and reintegration efforts of offenders and repeat offenders.

For example, SPS is working closely with the Association of Muslim Professionals (AMP) on a rehabilitation programme for Muslim offenders. This includes religious, family and financial literacy programmes during their incarceration, as well as case management and family support services after they are released. The programme will be piloted with about 100 drug offenders later this year.

MHA is also partnering the Singapore Muslim Women's Association (PPIS) to enhance drug prevention education efforts within the community. Under this initiative, PPIS will help spread the anti-drug message to their clients who are participating in their support programmes.

PERGAS (Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association), also shared our concern over drug offending. Recently, they met and counselled young drug offenders during the pilot run of the Insan Mukmin programme. PERGAS is very concerned that our youths lack awareness about the danger of drugs and how drug abuse runs counter to the teachings of Islam. They shared with me that they planned to organise a campaign to raise more awareness on this front.

I would like to encourage more community partners to join the Home Team in our efforts to reduce the number of drug offenders.

(In English): Mdm Chair, to conclude, the Home Team is committed to achieve a drug-free Singapore and will increase our efforts to rehabilitate and reintegrate ex-offenders and will partner the community to safeguard the safety and security of Singapore.

The Chairman: We have a few minutes for clarifications. Mr Zainal Sapari.

Mr Zainal Sapari: My clarification is for Minister Shanmugam. I would like to ask whether the Police in its investigation into inappropriate remarks made by the imam during the Friday sermon, whether the Police would be consulting MUIS to establish whether it was really out of context or, indeed, it was incriminatory.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Police will interact and speak with a wide variety of people in coming to their conclusion. Ultimately, the Police will be guided by advice from the Attorney-General's Chambers, taking into account the facts, the videos which are available and a proper translation of what was said. Everything will be looked into.

The Chairman: Mr Desmond Choo.

Mr Desmond Choo: Mdm Chair, my clarification is for the Senior Minister of State. Can the Senior Minister of State share more on how we can support older Home Team officers? Also, how would the Home Team train to arrive at that strong joint Home Team capabilities that are needed to fight crimes of the future?

Mr Desmond Lee: Madam, I thank the Member for his clarifications. On his first question about older workers in the Home Team, the Police will be putting in place a more structured career transition programme. I had spoken about it recently. It provides our retiring officers with dedicated training time as well as subsidies for them to take part in career transition courses. These will enable them to have the necessary skills to transit smoothly into a second career.

Based on the outcome of these initiatives, MHA will also progressively extend these career transition support programmes to other Home Team departments. The departments are also actively looking out for opportunities to deploy and re-employ our veteran officers in both uniformed and civilian positions where we can tap on their experience, skills and knowledge.

The Member also asked about how we can have a better joint Home Team psyche for our officers. In today's complex operating environment, this is critical because no Home Team department completely operates in silo. In more complex situations, our officers often have to find themselves having to work together on the ground at the operational level. I spoke earlier about the Police Operations Command Centre, where you will have other Home Team agencies in that nerve cell. With quicker sharing of information, it will begin to translate into a fuller, whole-of-Home Team operational stance.

But to support this, you have to start from training, and officers need to go into their Home Team uniformed service knowing that they are part of a larger organisation and that they have to work together.

So, the Home Team Academy will be rolling out two new Home Team training modules later this year for our new officers. Officers will learn about the functions of Home Team departments. They will gain a better insight into the heritage, history, ethos and values of each department, as well as the importance of integration across the Home Team departments. As an officer progresses through his career, he will be trained in joint operations and gain an understanding of the different capabilities of the Home Team departments. So, we have courses like the Home Team Leadership Programmes for Senior and Junior Officers, and the Home Team Senior Command and Staff Course, which will equip officers at different stages of their career with the knowledge, skills and network to work together as one Home Team.

The Chairman: Mr Patrick Tay.

Mr Patrick Tay Teck Guan: I just wanted to ask the Minister, as it was announced earlier, Police Officers will transit from revolvers to pistols. I just want to clarify whether the issuance of pistols and use of pistols will be extended to APOs as well.

Mr K Shanmugam: This will depend on the operational needs. For now, we are looking at our own officers.

The Chairman: Ms Sylvia Lim.

Ms Sylvia Lim: Madam, clarification in the opposite direction of Patrick Tay's clarification. In my cut, I did ask whether the Government had considered issuing non-lethal weapons, for example, to APOs. I wonder the Senior Minister of State could respond to that.

Mr Desmond Lee: I had explained earlier that whenever you give arms to any person, regardless of his background, there will always be these risks. In determining whether to arm an APO, you would look both at the risk assessment as well as the operational needs of the officer and the position in which he has been posted. So, I think we need to look at it from that perspective and try to address the risk upstream through proper selection and training.

The Chairman: Mr Gan Thiam Poh.

Mr Gan Thiam Poh: I just want to clarify for the surveillance cameras which have been installed and also still going on. I understand that quite a lot of them are recording and re-recording. Will they be shown online if it is "live" recording?

Mr K Shanmugam: You mean whether it will move from pre-recorded to real-time monitoring? Yes, we already have real-time monitoring capabilities. We intend to go further and enhance these with video analytics capabilities, because we do not have the number of officers to watch all the thousands of screens. So, for an effective system, what you need is a surveillance of the risk areas and artificial intelligence which then analyses it in real-time. This will allow the Police to form an assessment of an incident and react effectively in real-time. In fact, you will want to go further to use big data to conduct predictive analysis, so that you can intervene even before something happens. These are all in the works. But real-time monitoring is taking place already.

The Chairman: Ms Sylvia Lim.

Ms Sylvia Lim: Madam, for the Senior Minister of State. I appreciate what he has said about risk assessment. But I do not think my question has been answered about whether the Government has actually assessed whether it is feasible to issue APOs, for example, with stun guns. I think the Singapore Police Force actually has that issued to some officers, but I do not know whether that has been considered for APOs. I just wanted to know yes or no.

Mr Desmond Lee: Is the Member asking for all APOs? Or just foreign APOs?

Ms Sylvia Lim: In general, the APOs.

Mr Desmond Lee: I will take this back and check with the Police.

The Chairman: Mr Faisal Manap. Keep it short, please.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap (Aljunied): Thank you, Madam. Madam, I would like to seek clarification from Minister Shanmugam in relation to Mr Zainal Sapari's question. I just want to get a confirmation as well as affirmation from the Minister whether MUIS and PERGAS will be consulted, because I believe that MUIS and PERGAS will be able to provide a more accurate interpretation of the imam's text, since he is said to be quoting from verses in the Quran.

Mr K Shanmugam: Can I ask the Member whether he thinks that it is alright to quote from a text and encourage violence against others? Can I have a direct answer, please?

The Chairman: Mr Faisal Manap.

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: Madam, from my own knowledge, the verses in the Quran are always in the context of showing mercy to the people and universe.

Mr K Shanmugam: That is not the question I asked, and I did not refer to the Quran. Do you think it is alright for someone to refer to any holy text to encourage violence, either by quoting directly or speaking, encouraging such violence? Yes or no?

Mr Muhamad Faisal Bin Abdul Manap: It is wrong, Madam.

Mr K Shanmugam: Thank you. That is the question the Police will be considering.

The Chairman: Mr Christopher de Souza, do you wish to redraw your amendment?

Mr Christopher de Souza: Yes, Madam, I do. Behind the scenes, many uniformed and non-uniformed Home Team officers keep us safe and we have much to thank them for. I enjoin all Singaporeans to work with them in our battle against those who seek to do us harm. So, this leaves me to thank the Home Team on behalf of the House, and I beg leave to withdraw my amendment.

Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.

The sum of $5,016,755,900 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Main Estimates.

The sum of $760,164,600 for Head P ordered to stand part of the Development Estimates.