Committee of Supply Debate 2026 on “Building a Future-Oriented Home Team” – Speech by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Home Affairs

Mr Chairman,

1. Over the years, the Home Team has initiated many transformation efforts, so that even with manpower constraints and constantly evolving security challenges, we can keep Singapore and Singaporeans safe.

2. Today, I will speak on how the Home Team plans to continue transforming.


Leveraging Technology

3. We will press on with leveraging smart and autonomous technologies across Home Team departments in 2026.

Prisons Robot to Eradicate Conflicts and Threats (PROTECT)

4. At Singapore Prisons, we will be trialling the use of PROTECT, a robot designed to support officers during patrols and yard supervision, in the first quarter of FY2026. PROTECT is able to patrol autonomously and can be remotely operated to mitigate potential hazards during incident response.

Cell Broadcast Mass Alert System (SG Alert)

5. From May 2026, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) will progressively roll out SG Alert, which is a dedicated mass emergency alert system that can broadcast emergency alerts to mobile handsets islandwide, or within specific geographical zones. Mobile users will not have to download any apps to receive SG Alert notifications. SG Alert will complement existing emergency broadcasts. We believe this capability will significantly enhance Singaporeans’ preparedness for serious emergencies, such as major fire, chemical or terror incidents.

Merger of Neighbourhood Police Centres

6. With the Singapore Police Force’s (SPF) digitalisation efforts over the years, more than 70% of all Police reports are now lodged through self-help services, either online or at self-help kiosks located in Neighbourhood Police Centres (NPCs) and Neighbourhood Police Posts.

7. At selected self-help kiosks, the SPF has started using the Report Lodging Co-Pilot, or R-COP, an AI-enabled chatbot which prompts members of the public for relevant information when making Police reports. This makes the reports clearer and more complete, reducing the need for follow-up calls from the Investigating Officer.

8. Since its rollout at seven Police Division Headquarters from October 2025, over 90% of users gave positive feedback. Many found the chatbot easy to use and agreed that it helped to make reports more accurate. Police will roll out R-COP to more self-help kiosks by the middle of the year and continue to improve user experience.

9. R-COP, alongside SPF’s other investments in technology, has also helped the SPF to be more efficient in deploying limited police resources. For example, through the unmanning of some service counters and the merging of selected NPCs.

10. The merging of NPCs aims to optimise limited Police resources by combining smaller NPCs serving contiguous areas into a larger operational base. Doing so enhances deployment flexibility and supports response to more complex incidents.

11. There will be no change in police presence and response time to incidents in estates served by merged NPCs, including responsiveness to 999 calls.

12. Since 2022, SPF has smoothly carried out three mergers of NPCs in Bedok, Yishun and Bukit Batok. SPF has plans for more NPC mergers. We will continue to work closely with community partners, residents, and other stakeholders to ensure seamless transition.


Using AI to Augment the Home Team’s Capabilities

13. PM Lawrence Wong spoke about the importance of AI in his Budget speech. We have been prioritising AI as an enabler for developing Home Team capabilities, and launched the Home Team AI Movement two years ago. Mr Sanjeev Kumar Tiwari asked for an update on our AI efforts and how we are safeguarding the use of AI.

Workforce Growth and Training

14. We are seeing good progress. HTX’s AI specialist workforce has grown to 250 as at end-2025, and is on track to reach 400 by end-2026. HTX has also developed an AI training roadmap and launched upskilling programmes to nurture AI interest and develop AI skills in all Home Team officers.

Significant AI Developments in the Home Team

15. Another milestone was in May 2025 when we launched the first in a series of Home Team proprietary Large Language Models, codenamed Phoenix. This is a data-secure and self-contained model developed by HTX which is trained on Singapore and Home Team data and does not require Internet connectivity. Phoenix paves the way for us to develop AI solutions tailored to the Home Team’s operational needs, and for purposes which are security-classified.

16. Significant computing power is required to develop AI applications and train models. To address this, HTX has built the Next Generation Infrastructure (NGINE), MHA’s first enterprise-grade AI infrastructure. NGINE hosts the Home Team’s AI applications and provides an important boost in scaling AI deployment for the Home Team. The first phase was launched in 2025, and the infrastructure will be scaled up progressively as the Home Team expands AI capabilities.

Next Bound

17. Building an AI-ready workforce and NGINE will enable HTX to accelerate AI deployment across the Home Team.

18. One example is R-COP which I had mentioned earlier. Another example is the Central Narcotics Bureau’s NarcoNet. This is a multimodal AI platform to accelerate investigative processes. There is also the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s MATRIX, which leverages vision language AI models for greater accuracy in document classification and data extraction from documents submitted by applicants for immigration facilities.

19. Mr Sanjeev asked about the integration of AI-enabled and humanoid robots into frontline operations. Such robots can reduce Home Team officers’ exposure to high risk environments. We are working on this and aim to share our plans in the coming months.

AI Governance

20. While we press ahead with AI, we are mindful that AI solutions must be trustworthy and delivered responsibly. As with other technologies, AI comes with risks.

21. So in 2025, we refreshed our AI Governance Framework and established a playbook alongside it to guide the responsible development, deployment, and use of AI.

22. In 2026, HTX will develop a proof-of-concept for a centralised AI Governance Testing and Monitoring Platform to automate AI governance checks and ensure continuous compliance throughout the AI lifecycle. HTX will also deploy AI guardrails-as-a-service to protect our AI solutions from attacks and ensure that output is safe and reliable.


Improving Road Safety

23. Another area in which we are investing heavily in technology is road safety. In 2025, we trialled the new Traffic Violation Enforcement Camera which leverages video analytics and automatic number plate recognition to detect and capture various traffic violations in real time. These cameras will strengthen our traffic policing capabilities once fully operationalised in the first quarter of this year.

24. We need a stronger enforcement posture because our roads are becoming less safe. As shared in the Annual Road Traffic Situation released yesterday, our traffic fatality rate has been rising, increasing by about 24% from 2021 to 2025. Traffic violations have also been on an upward trend, increasing by about 38% from 2021 to 2025.

25. This unwelcome trend has occurred despite constant efforts to improve road safety.

(a) MHA has been working closely with the Ministry of Transport and the Land Transport Authority to design our road infrastructure in a manner that promotes and demands safety.

(b) The Traffic Police has been stepping up presence, enforcement and public engagement. We have rolled out more cameras to detect violations. Beyond enforcement by the Traffic Police, Ground Response Force officers who come across traffic violations will also take enforcement action, supplemented by technology such as their in-vehicle video recording system.

26. We will continue enforcement, but we will also need to look beyond enforcement to reverse these trends decisively, because accidents, injuries and fatalities can all be prevented. It is possible to achieve zero road fatalities. From early July 2024 to early July 2025, Helsinki recorded zero road traffic fatalities for an entire year. They have been a strong proponent of Vision Zero, an approach that aims to eliminate all traffic deaths and serious injuries.

27. There is no reason why we cannot aspire to zero road fatalities here in Singapore. But it requires collective recognition that our road culture needs to change.

28. Now, it is true that life moves at a fast pace in Singapore. Most road users are pressed for time. Many are also distracted. It can be all too easy to disregard traffic rules or the needs of other road users – especially when we are rushing for time. Giving way does not seem to come as naturally to us, as making sure that we do not concede any advantage to other road users.

29. Can we do better? Ask any group of road users and we are likely to be told that the problem lies with other groups. When we talk to drivers, they will point out that motorcyclists, or cyclists, or pedestrians are at fault. If we speak to motorcyclists, we are likely to be told that it is the drivers who are the problem. And so on and so forth.

30. It may well be that everyone is right, and that all of us – drivers, riders and pedestrians – all have to commit to making changes to our habits. It may well be that everyone is right, and that all of us – drivers, riders, pedestrians – all have to commit to making changes to our habits. Otherwise, our road safety situation is not going to improve.

31. Ms Cassandra Lee asked about how we can keep our families safe on the roads by strengthening road safety awareness and rules. In the coming months, MHA and the Traffic Police will work with partners on a new and sustained public engagement campaign on road safety, addressing all categories of road users. We hope to have the support of Members of this House.

32. At the same time, we will make further changes to our enforcement posture, starting with drink-driving.

Drink-driving

33. Drink driving is a highly culpable offence. No one accidentally drinks and drives. They put themselves and others at great risk. There have been many horrific accidents caused by drunk drivers.

34. Our drink driving limit today is 35 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. Evidence shows that impairment to driving skills occurs at lower levels of alcohol concentration, and that crash risks increase with alcohol consumption. We will therefore lower the drink driving limit to 15 micrograms of alcohol per 100 millilitres of breath. This brings us in line with other jurisdictions in Asia such as Taiwan, Japan and South Korea. The message is simple: if you drink, don’t drive.

35. Legislative amendments will be made later this year to effect the changes.

Other measures being developed, including DIPS

36. I thank Ms Cassandra Lee for her suggestion to consider raising penalties for certain cases of dangerous driving. I agree with her that the penalties should be higher in cases where a driver puts another person in danger on purpose, as in Jarrett Tee’s case. We will study this with a view towards introducing a new offence to tackle such behaviour, with a higher maximum penalty than the existing offence of dangerous driving causing death.

37. Mr Chairman, everyone must play our part to keep our roads safe. To motivate all drivers to adhere more closely to traffic rules, MHA is considering tightening the Driver Improvement Points System, otherwise more commonly known as the demerit points system. This may include reducing the number of demerit points that can be accumulated before a driver is suspended, and also increasing the suspension periods. We will not decide on this lightly, but it may be necessary in order to arrest the deteriorating situation, increase deterrence and keep dangerous motorists off the roads.

38. We know that time is needed for attitudes and behaviours to change, which is why we will engage stakeholders and members of the public to co-create solutions on what more can be done to improve our traffic safety situation. We will also give due consideration to the perspectives of vocational drivers, having consulted the transport-related unions.

39. Another group that we are concerned with is foreign-registered vehicles. Whether they are on our roads for economic reasons or for leisure, they have a significant collective presence, so there is also a need to strengthen deterrence and enforcement against violations by foreign-registered vehicles. We are working on several measures and will announce details when ready.

40. Mr Chairman, please let me conclude this segment of my speech in Mandarin.

41. 主席先生，我国公路变得越来越不安全。尽管我们持续推出更严厉的管制措施，交通事故死亡率和交通违规案例仍在上升。除了继续加强执法，我们也必须超越执法层面，果断地扭转这个趋势，因为交通事故和造成的伤亡其实都是可以避免的。

42. 新加坡的生活节奏快速，大多公路使用者都在赶时间，也容易分心。在这种情况下，人们很容易忽视交通规则，或忽略其他公路使用者的安全。

43. 公路使用者分不同群体，有驾车人士、电单车骑士、脚踏车骑士、行人等。我们时常会听到个别群体抱怨其他公路使用者不守规则。其实，不管使用什么交通工具，我们每个公路使用者都必须调整习惯，否则公路安全很难改善。

44. 在接下来的几个月里，我们将推出全新的宣导活动来提升各类型的公路使用者对公路安全和相关措施的意识。

45. 与此同时，我们也会进一步加强执法，首先从酒驾着手。

46. 我们现有的酒驾标准已经过时，也不符合最新的科学证据和国际常规。因此，我们将把酒驾合法限度从目前的每100毫升呼气含35微克酒精下调至15微克，对标台湾、日本, 韩国等地。

47. 为鼓励所有驾驶者更认真地遵守交通规则，内政部也正考虑收紧违例记分制度，其中包括降低吊销驾驶执照前的积分门槛，以及延长吊销驾照期限。我们的主要考量，是减少危险驾驶行为、扭转日益恶化的公路安全情况。

48. 我们也展开与交通业相关工会的磋商，以充分考虑职业驾驶人员的观点。

49. 除了本地注册的车辆和电单车，我们也要求外国注册车辆和电单车遵守本地交通规则。我们正在研究几项措施，强化对这类车辆和电单车违规行为的执法，细节在准备就绪后会公布。


Conclusion

50. Mr Chairman, the Home Team increasingly has to do more with less. That is why we must fully exploit the opportunities today’s technology affords us. Doing so allows us to maintain high levels of effectiveness, to continue to keep Singapore safe and secure.

51. Thank you