SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is building a new operations centre to house officers from various law enforcement agencies so they can respond to incidents more quickly and comprehensively.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam said on Feb 24 that the Home Team Operations Centre (HTOC) will bring together officers from the police, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).
The centre is slated to be completed by 2032.
Mr Shanmugam said: “From receiving 999 or 995 calls, to dispatching of resources and managing of incidents, the HTOC will allow us to respond more quickly and comprehensively, regardless of the type of incident.”
He did not give more details.
Mr Shanmugam was speaking at the inaugural Home Team Day that celebrates the efforts of Home Team officers in keeping Singapore safe and secure.
He said MHA would also be building Home Team-wide unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) capabilities, for all Home Team departments to make more effective use of drones.
When responding to emergencies, the drones could do sense-making during anti-crime operations, and monitor crowd levels at major events, he added.
Mr Shanmugam said the ministry now has a Home Team UAV command led by the police, but the resources and capabilities are shared across the entire Home Team.
In his speech, he paid tribute to former minister for home affairs Wong Kan Seng for launching the Home Team concept 27 years ago.
Said Mr Shanmugam: “Mr Wong and the leaders in MHA back then realised that we needed to change the entire plan and take a very unusual, defining big step for our individual departments to see themselves as part of a larger team.”
At the event, Mr Wong said Home Team agencies have gone beyond working with one another to collaborating with other government agencies like the Housing Board and Ministry of Manpower.
He added: “For scams, Home Team agencies are working with the private sector, banks and telcos. That’s tremendous progress in this Home Team concept, where together, we can do a lot more.”
On Home Team Day, MHA recognised the contributions of its officers, such as Mr Benny Wong, 46, director of operations policy at the Gambling Regulatory Authority.
He was part of the pioneering team that laid the foundations of casino regulation in Singapore, and continues to be involved in developing policies to regulate gambling.
He told The Straits Times he had always wanted to be in the public service and chose MHA as its mission of keeping Singapore safe resonated with him.
He added: “I feel privileged to have been part of the team that helped open casinos in Singapore. People look to our model to see how we were able to bring in something quite dangerous but continue to take care of Singaporeans.”
CNB Station Inspector Li Zhenzhen, 42, was also recognised.
She has been with CNB for 17 years and her current role involves working with ICA and police officers to prevent drugs from entering Singapore.
She said the work can be challenging, especially when drug addicts or traffickers take drastic measures to escape, such as using dangerous weapons.
“Drugs destroy families and may lead people to commit more serious crimes. What keeps me going is knowing that I am doing my part to protect the vulnerable, like children, from drugs,” she added.
Citizens on Patrol member Hamida Khalid, 73, who has been volunteering with the Home Team for 57 years, was also recognised.
She patrols her neighbourhood in the Ah Hood Gardens area and speaks to residents about their security concerns.
Madam Hamida, a retired administrative executive, said: “Residents will call me when there are any issues and I will try to help them to contact the relevant authorities.
“Once, there was a theft in the carpark so I called the police, and they nabbed the culprit.”
Madam Hamida intends to continue volunteering for as long as she can. She said: “Volunteering is a part of my life. It means a lot to me when residents tell me they appreciate what I do for them.”
