Tech exhibits a hit at Home Team Festival

The What We Do zone at the festival showcases the capabilities of various agencies and also gives visitors a chance to become more familiar with various equipment the Home Team members use, such as a fireman's protective gear. The Singapore Civil Def
The What We Do zone at the festival showcases the capabilities of various agencies and also gives visitors a chance to become more familiar with various equipment the Home Team members use, such as a fireman's protective gear. ST PHOTOS: JONATHAN CHOO
The What We Do zone at the festival showcases the capabilities of various agencies and also gives visitors a chance to become more familiar with various equipment the Home Team members use, such as a fireman's protective gear. The Singapore Civil Def
In the Rising To The Call zone, visitors can learn more about the different Home Team agencies, its officers and the challenges they face daily to keep Singapore safe. ST PHOTOS: JONATHAN CHOO
The What We Do zone at the festival showcases the capabilities of various agencies and also gives visitors a chance to become more familiar with various equipment the Home Team members use, such as a fireman's protective gear. The Singapore Civil Def
The Singapore Civil Defence Force's light fire attack vehicle was among the exhibits that attracted guests at the festival's opening yesterday. The event will run till Sunday at the Singapore Sports Hub. ST PHOTOS: JONATHAN CHOO

With the help of virtual-reality goggles, some people stepped into the shoes of Home Team officers trying to identify suspicious objects in a "terrorist hideout".

This was what visitors got to do and experience at the Home Team Show and Festival, which opened yesterday at the Singapore Sports Hub precinct.

The festival, which will run until Sunday, is held every two years by the Home Team to showcase the work of its agencies like the police force, Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) and Singapore Prison Service.

But this year, the event has a show element to mark 50 years of national service and also to pay tribute to Home Team personnel.

The Home Team Show had its first run last night and will be held every night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, culminating in a gala show on Saturday that will be attended by President Tony Tan Keng Yam.

The show is open only to invited national servicemen, Home Team officers, volunteers and partners. But the public can catch a live telecast of the gala show on Mediacorp's Channel 5.

Ms Tan Min Yee, 23, a master's student at University College London, was particularly intrigued by the simulation held at the festival's Ready For The Future zone. "It's educational and goes beyond the typical counter-terror messages that you see in MRT stations," she said.

Ms Jaylia Sim, 20, a polytechnic student, said of the exhibits in the future zone: "A lot of the exhibits here are not things we see on a regular basis. They seem very high-tech, and you may not think they are using them right now."

Visitors to the festival will also get to try on firefighting gear and touch the Taurus revolver that police officers use.

From tomorrow, there will also be live demonstrations of joint operations between agencies such as the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Singapore Civil Defence Force and CNB at one of the zones.

Home Team Festival co-chairman Jason Chen, 39, said the event pays tribute to all the agencies' officers. "More importantly, we want to use this event to let more members of the public get to know the Home Team better... and what they can do in the community to help keep Singapore safe and secure."

The guard-of-honour contingent commander for the show, Deputy Superintendent of Police Shannon Lin, 33, said: "As we're celebrating NS50, it's a good opportunity to reflect on the contributions by our peers and pioneers."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 04, 2017, with the headline Tech exhibits a hit at Home Team Festival. Subscribe