New technologies, 2,000 officers to ensure crowd safety at National Day Parade

SINGAPORE – New technologies, including an entry and exit system that uses LED lights to guide crowd movement, and close to 2,000 police officers will be deployed at the upcoming National Day Parade (NDP) to ensure security and crowd safety.

Superintendent Lee Han Sheng, the head of operations of the police’s Woodlands Division, said that the guided entry and exit system will help direct the public to designated entrances at Marina Bay Sands (MBS) and regulate crowd movements, particularly when the crowds start to disperse at the end of the fireworks display.

“The deployment of new measures, such as the guided entry and exit system and the lighted balloons directional signage, aims to help wayfinding in crowded situations and to increase public safety,” he told the media during an event at MBS to introduce the system on Aug 3.

In addition, close to 2,000 police officers from the land divisions, Police Coast Guard, Traffic Police, Public Transport Security Command, Gurkha Contingent, Special Operations Command, Protective Security Command and Police Security Command will be deployed to ensure security at the Padang and in its vicinity.

They will be supported by auxiliary police officers, the Singapore Civil Defence Force, the Singapore Armed Forces and the Ministry of Health to respond to contingencies.

There will also be

security checks at all entry points into the Padang,

where the NDP will be held. These include bag checks, walk-through metal detectors and X-ray machines.

Security barricades and vehicle barriers will be laid around the Padang, and at areas where crowds are expected to congregate. The possession and flying of drones will also be prohibited.

Technology deployed

The officers deployed for NDP 2024 will be supported with technological capabilities that will serve as a force multiplier.

These include:

1. Guided entry-and-exit system

The NDP in 2024 will see the deployment for the first time of a guided entry and exit system, fitted with LED lights placed above doors for crowds that will be watching the fireworks in the area around Marina Bay and The Promontory @ Marina Bay.

These lights, which will be placed above doors from the area near the ArtScience Museum to the area next to Bayfront Link, will flash either red or green to indicate the direction of travel for the public heading towards or out of MBS.

Crowd issues tend to occur following the conclusion of the fireworks display, when people start to leave mostly through Bayfront MRT station.

Police officers will also be stationed at these entrances and exits to manage the movement of people throughout the evening.

A police spokesman told the media that the system has been deployed since NDP Preview 1 on July 22, where it was observed to be helpful in better regulating crowds.

2. Lighted balloon directional signage

Two lighted balloon directional signs will be deployed in the vicinity of Raffles City to provide the public with directions to the nearest MRT station.

They will be visible from a distance and in dimly lit conditions.

This is also the first time that the balloons, which will be mounted on stands and at heights of up to 2.8m to ensure visibility to the crowds, will be deployed.

3. Enhanced Mobicam

The Singapore Police Force said that it will be deploying the Enhanced Mobicam, a monitoring system fitted with static surveillance cameras, in areas where crowds will be congregating on National Day, such as the War Memorial Park.

The Mobicam is equipped with a blinker, speakers and electronic signage, and will enable officers at the police command centre to broadcast both audio advisories and visual messages to the public.

4. Crowd@MarinaBay live map

Crowd@MarinaBay is a live map that allows the public to view real-time crowd levels and places that are closed off around the Marina Bay area.

Users seeking updates on crowd situations can scan a QR code that will take them directly to a live map via their computers and mobile devices on National Day between 1.30pm and 10pm to help them plan their evening.

This QR code will also be displayed around the Marina Bay area, while the live maps will be displayed on TV screens at selected MRT stations.

Other than displaying the real-time crowd levels at nearby MRT stations and in the Marina Bay area, as well as indicating areas that are closed to the public, the maps will also allow users to identify their own location.

Other features include blue surface-level and pink underground walking paths around Marina Bay to help users navigate the area.

5. LED-backed signage

These signs will be deployed along the Singapore River to direct the public towards Clarke Quay MRT station, as well as at War Memorial Park to guide them towards City Hall or Esplanade MRT station.

They have an illuminated backing and LED arrows for better visibility at night and from a distance to help people find their way to nearby transport nodes.

6. LED runway lights

These will help enhance the visibility of walking paths at night, and will be located in the vicinity of the War Memorial Park for crowds leaving the area, following the conclusion of the night’s events, and heading towards City Hall MRT station.

The area around the Padang has been marked as a special event zone on Aug 9 and the police will be conducting checks on individuals to ensure that banned items like banners, flags, placards and umbrellas do not enter the zone, which includes the Chinatown and Bras Basah areas.

Heightened security checks will also be enforced in a demarcated special zone within the event area, including near City Hall and Promenade MRT stations.

The police will conduct checks and screen all individuals and vehicles entering or within the special zone.