Home Team officers ‘the backbone of Singapore’s safety and security’: PM Wong

SINGAPORE - Home Team officers are the backbone of the nation’s safety and security, and Singaporeans have a high level of trust in them, said Prime Minister Lawrence Wong.

Full-time national servicemen (NSFs) and operationally ready national servicemen (NSmen) serving in the Home Team are also an integral part of the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and Singaporeans owe them a big debt of gratitude for responding to threats and saving lives, he added.

Speaking to the media during a visit to Punggol Neighbourhood Police Centre and Punggol Fire Station on April 4, PM Wong said: “Like the Singapore Armed Forces, our Home Team officers are the backbone of Singapore’s safety and security. They work tirelessly, often behind the scenes, to deal with all sorts of threats, both visible and unseen.

“In today’s troubled world, the safety of Singapore is not something we can take for granted. It is made possible because of the commitment, dedication and hard work of our security forces.”

Noting that the nature of threats is evolving, PM Wong said: “We have to deal with terrorist groups, not just overseas, but even home-grown and self-radicalised individuals, cybercrimes, scams and so on. That’s why the Government will continue to invest in our capabilities to better respond to these different threats.”

PM Wong said that during his visit, he saw the Home Team adapting and harnessing technologies effectively in training and live operations.

“Today’s visit is really a chance for me to familiarise myself a little bit better with what the Home Team is doing, but importantly, to say to all our Home Team officers, thank you for your service, thank you for your sacrifice, your courage and your commitment to serve.

“And I want to assure all of you that the Government and your fellow Singaporeans will continue to support you in undertaking and discharging your important duties,” he added.

The effectiveness of the Home Team, PM Wong said, is not just about its professionalism and commitment, which the Home Team possesses, but it also depends on the confidence and trust that Singaporeans have in it.

“Consistently over many years, the surveys do show that Singaporeans have a very high level of trust in the Home Team, including in the police and the SCDF.

“This did not happen by chance. It took many years of hard work to achieve these high levels, and I know that the Home Team officers are determined to keep it this way, and we should continue to support them in their efforts,” he said.

When asked about the significance of the Home Team in humanitarian missions such as the one in Myanmar following

the earthquake on March 28,

PM Wong said Home Team officers are deployed not just for its core mission, which is to keep Singapore safe, but also to take part in humanitarian relief efforts.

The SCDF

sent an 80-strong force and four search canines to Myanmar,

to assist in rescue efforts after the nation was struck by a 7.7-magnitude earthquake near Mandalay, its second-largest city.

PM Wong said: “Within the SCDF contingent, we had NSmen who volunteered to contribute. We also

had Muslim officers

who had to sacrifice their Hari Raya and still were prepared to go and help overseas. So we are grateful for their efforts and for their commitment to serve.

“It makes a difference to show that here in Singapore, we are not just focused on our own safety and security – important, though that may be, and it will always be – but we are also prepared to do our part to help and support our fellow neighbours whenever they are in need.”

During his visit, PM Wong was accompanied by Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, Acting Singapore Police Force Commissioner How Kwang Hwee and SCDF Commissioner Eric Yap.

PM Wong was briefed and taken through several of the latest training and operational capabilities of the police and the SCDF, including a handheld drone jamming system that can be used to disrupt the signal of a malicious drone.

SCDF officers also showed him an extended reality training simulator that allows fire station personnel to practise their vehicular extraction skills to rescue victims in road traffic accidents.

PM Wong said: “When I did my visit just now, I was assured to see the officers’ focus on this mission, and I also assured them the Government will continue to back them up, support them and provide them the resources they need to do their jobs effectively.”