Riot at Singapore Boys’ Home
Ministry of Social and Family DevelopmentSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the riot at the Singapore Boys’ Home, where Miss Cheng Li Hui inquired about preventive measures, mass disturbance protocols, and the frequency of such incidents. Minister Desmond Lee reported three disturbances requiring police activation over the last five years and stated that staff training and youth management plans serve as the first line of defence. Standard operating procedures during disturbances include activating reinforcements, de-escalating conflicts, and physically separating residents, with the Singapore Police Force activated to pre-empt further escalation. Post-incident, MSF conducts after-action reviews to improve rehabilitation and management, while the police perform investigations when necessary. Close coordination between MSF and MHA remains essential to ensuring safety and security within the Home.
Transcript
35 Miss Cheng Li Hui asked the Minister for Social and Family Development with regard to the riot at the Singapore Boys' Home (a) what are the measures and precautions in place to detect, pre-empt and deter such incidences from occurring again; (b) what are the standard operating procedures and protocols when mass disturbances occur; and (c) what is the number of disturbances that occurred over the last five years in the Home.
Mr Desmond Lee: Close coordination between MSF and MHA is key to ensuring safety and security within the Singapore Boys’ Home (SBH). There were three incidents of mass disturbance where resources from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) were activated in the last five years. MSF works closely with the Home Team departments to learn from these incidents in order to strengthen our standard operating procedures and activation protocols.
Early prevention and intervention is the first line of defence. MSF staff is trained to identify early signs of conflict. Youth management plans are developed to address tensions and to support the youths with counselling or psychological treatment where necessary. This allows the Home to manage conflicts before they escalate.
If an incident of mass disturbance were to happen, the MSF officers have been trained in a series of protocols, which include activating reinforcements, de-escalating the conflict, and physically separating residents to ensure their safety. The SPF is also activated as part of the protocol to pre-empt further escalations.
Post-incident, there are after-action reviews so that we can continue to improve the incident management and rehabilitation approach. Where necessary, the SPF will undertake investigations.