Security forces in counter-terrorism drill
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More than 900 personnel from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) took part in an island-wide counter-terrorism exercise tackling simulated threats involving explosives, gunmen and hostage situations.
The two-day exercise, which started on Tuesday, was part of efforts by the Home Team and the SAF to test and validate Singapore's multi-agency response plan in the event of a terror attack.
A police release yesterday detailed the scenarios that played out during the "attacks" which were enacted across Singapore.
The exercise started with a "terror attack" at Tuas Link MRT station, which involved first responders in the form of police officers from the Ground Response Force and Emergency Response Teams.
The second wave of responders involved the police's Armed Strike Teams - comprising its Special Operations Command and Gurkha Contingent. These teams provided additional tactical capabilities.
The "attack" quickly turned into a "hostage situation", and the Special Tactics & Rescue Unit from the SPF moved in to contain the "siege" and provide immediate intervention.
In the final line of response, the SAF's Special Operations Task Force was deployed to handle complex "hostage-taking situations".
The SAF's Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosives units and its Medical Response Force also came in to neutralise threats posed by improvised explosive devices, and to handle medical emergencies, respectively.
There were also joint deterrence patrols by SPF officers and the SAF's Island Defence Task Force. These took place in residential heartlands and commercial areas like Bishan Junction 8 and schools such as Stamford American International School and St Joseph's Institution International School.
"This was part of deterrence efforts and stepped-up security measures in response to a heightened threat situation," said the release.
During the joint patrols, the teams also responded to various "crises", such as instances of active shooting, unattended suspicious articles, vehicle ramming attacks, and suspicious and aggressive individuals at various locations.
The two forces conduct regular joint training and exercises to enhance operational readiness in homeland security operations, said the release.
"Such interactions strengthen interoperability between the two security forces to deal swiftly and effectively with terrorism threats under the Homefront Crisis Management Framework," it added.
