SINGAPORE - Singapore is known as a shopping paradise and areas like Orchard Road, Bugis and Marina Bay attract many shoppers from here and abroad, especially during festive periods.

Thus, a closer working relationship between retailers and the police is needed to ensure the safety of shoppers, in the light of a recent terrorist attack that happened outside a shopping mall in Jakarta in January, said Madam Rahayu Mahzam, MP for Jurong GRC.

"We cannot imagine the catastrophic consequences of a similar incident here in Singapore," said Madam Rahayu on Saturday (Jan 30) at the launch of a watch group made up of the police and retailers. The attack in the Indonesia capital killed eight people.

"We also cannot take it for granted that such incidents will never happen here," said Madam Rahayu, a member of the Home Affairs and Law government parliamentary committees.

The Marina Bay Neighbourhood Police Centre is the third police division to launch this initiative. The other two are Tanglin and Jurong divisions.

Under the Retail Watch Group, the police will send an e-newsletter to retailers detailing latest crimes trends and statistics. Also included are tips on how to prevent crime and good security practices. Exercises will also be conducted to test how secure and vigilant stores are.