Forum: Close import control gap for knock-down kits used in illegal PMDs
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In the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s annual statistics, fires involving personal mobility devices (PMDs) rose from 25 cases in 2024 to 31 in 2025, even though overall fires involving active mobility devices (AMDs) fell from 67 to 49.
The Ministry of Home Affairs noted that AMD fires accounted for over 10 per cent of fire-related injuries and more than 25 per cent of fatalities. Many such fires stemmed from non-compliant devices and improper charging practices.
I welcome the tougher active mobility measures now in place. But beyond tougher penalties, can Singapore go further upstream?
The Land Transport Authority’s (LTA) import control regime already requires import permits for motorised PMDs and power-assisted bicycles through TradeNet, with Singapore Customs-linked procedures.
LTA states clearly that this is meant to stem the inflow of non-compliant devices, but notes that completely knock-down kits (collections of parts needed for a product, made in one location and shipped to another for assembly) are not currently subject to import control.
That gap deserves closer attention. Singapore Customs and LTA could consider tighter screening of suspicious parcels, batteries, conversion parts and knock-down kits that can later be assembled or used for illegal modification. It is better to intercept such risks before they enter homes and corridors in dense HDB estates.
Fire prevention must begin not just at the point of use, but at the point of import.
Steven Lim Peicong
