Frisk searches conducted on public transport commuters will be done only in areas where there is video surveillance, and only authorised female officers can conduct searches on a female person.
All authorised officers conducting frisk searches must be in uniform and have undergone the requisite training, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor told Parliament yesterday, as she sought to allay concerns among MPs that new laws passed could be abused or lead to racial profiling.
Police officers who are not in uniform will also have to first identify themselves.
Dr Khor was speaking during the debate on amendments to the Road Traffic Act and other laws that will give police officers and authorised personnel broader powers to screen and search commuters.
While she did not specify how those steps would be ensured, Dr Khor said: "Our authorised officers have a duty, responsibility and obligation to ensure that they do this in accordance to protocols."
The new laws allow security checks to be carried out at designated entrances of bus interchanges, before fare gates at MRT and LRT stations, or any parts of these transport nodes. They can also be carried out on board buses and trains.
Under the new laws, a frisk search is conducted by quickly running one's hands over an individual's outer clothing. Those who refuse to be screened may be asked to leave the bus, train, interchange or station. They can also be fined up to $1,000.
Dr Khor said officers authorised to do searches must complete the necessary Workforce Skills Qualification courses, which are approved by the police.
During this training, officers are taught how to spot individuals displaying suspicious behaviour without bias against any race or religion, she added.
Saying she appreciated that search powers had to be expanded given the evolving security situation, Workers' Party chairman Sylvia Lim (Aljunied GRC) asked if it was appropriate for non-police officers to search commuters, given the very different levels of training.
"A bodily search is an intimate security check which should only be performed by highly trained persons," she said. "Do they have the requisite training, not only on how to perform the physical act, but also to handle any confrontations that may arise?"
Ms He Ting Ru (Sengkang GRC) said adequate training is needed to prevent abuses such as excessive enforcement, harassment or even sexual assault.
Ms Raeesah Khan (Sengkang GRC), Mr Saktiandi Supaat (Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC) and Nominated MP Shahira Abdullah said improper frisk searches could also lead to perceptions of racial profiling and bias.
Ms Khan suggested statistics on the frisk searches conducted be published, broken down by gender, ethnicity, time, location and justification.
She also called for public education campaigns so that commuters know if officers searching them are behaving appropriately.
Kok Yufeng
