Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony (HTNDOC) 2024 – Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Home Team colleagues including Senior Minister Teo Chee Hean,

MOS Faishal and MOS Sun Xueling,

Partners, Volunteers, Distinguished Guests

Introduction

1. A very good afternoon to everyone.

2. In a week’s time, we will mark our Nation’s 59th birthday. For individuals, birthdays are good occasions to reflect on the past year, and to ask what we might like to do differently in the new year.  For the Home Team, our annual NDOC provides a good opportunity for us to reflect and think about what we can do together to make Singapore an even better home for all of us.

3. The theme for this year’s National Day is “Together, as One United People”.

4. It spotlights the importance of unity even as our society becomes more diverse in terms of experiences and aspirations.

5. Fortunately for Singapore, this unity has been forged and strengthened over the years. By ensuring that all segments of society progressed together, we have grown a strong foundation of trust.

Singapore’s Safety and Security

Home Team

6. Underpinning Singapore’s economic and social progress is our safety and security, and the Home Team has played a pivotal role in this.

7. Our safe and stable environment has been a key factor contributing to Singapore’s attractiveness to investors and talented individuals.

8. As a result, we have created many opportunities for good jobs and helped many families lead better lives.

9. Singaporeans also take pride in knowing that we have become one of the safest countries in the world.

10. Older citizens will remember that this was not always the case. When we first attained independence in 1965, it was not uncommon to hear about violent crimes, secret society activities, drug abuse, gambling syndicates.

11. Even when I was growing up in Joo Chiat – I’m a young senior, I remember some of those old days - I knew that my uncle had joined the VSC – Volunteer Special Constabulary – because our neighbourhood was full of unsavoury characters.

12. Like my mother who was a police officer, my uncle believed that he must be part of the team to keep “Home” safe.  Only then could our family and all the families in our neighbourhood make progress.

13. Fortunately for Singapore, generations of Home Team officers shared this belief.  The safe and secure Singapore we enjoy today is the result of a strong rule of law and effective law enforcement.

14. It is your collective efforts that have helped all of Singapore to make progress.

Technology and People

15. As we look to the future, we can see our operating environment becoming more complex. The Home Team has to continually adapt to stay ahead.  Among other things, we will need to make better use of technology as a force multiplier to enhance our effectiveness in countering threats.

16. Across the Home Team, HTX and the Home Team departments are actively thinking about harnessing technology, including Artificial Intelligence, to help our officers deter and solve crimes, secure our borders, save lives, and safeguard public spaces.

17. For example, we have deployed autonomous patrol robots to serve as additional eyes on the ground, and implemented the New Clearance Concept at our immigration checkpoints which allows for faster and more seamless immigration clearance experience for travellers.

18. In the pipeline are further cutting-edge technologies, some of which were showcased at the recent Milipol Asia Pacific-TechX summit.

19. They include AlchemiX, a tool that can assess whether audio or video recordings are genuine or deepfakes.  We also have insect-hybrid robots that can be deployed in search-and-rescue missions to locate survivors trapped under debris.

20. Given the increased use of military drones in conflict zones, we have stepped up capabilities to counter Unmanned Aerial Systems. These innovations showcase how Singapore is becoming a thought leader in applying science and technology for homeland security.

21. However, even as we seek to harness technology, our officers remain our most important factor for success. Much of the Home Team’s work, at both the policy and operational levels, requires creativity and judgement.  They cannot be easily reduced to a set of formulas or algorithms.

22. They require our officers to be clear about the outcomes we want to achieve, exercise empathy, and demonstrate deep understanding of our operating environments to design and deliver the most appropriate measures.

23. At NDOC today, we are happy to recognise the exemplary contributions of 104 Home Team officers who will be receiving the Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award.

24. We will also pay tribute to colleagues from other public agencies and international counterparts who have contributed to our teams’ successes.

25. Another four teams which comprise officers from 19 agencies and units will receive the National Day Award. Of special note is our colleagues from the Royal Malaysian Police who had worked closely with the CNB to arrest a Singaporean leader of a drug trafficking syndicate, who was based in Malaysia and supplied large amounts of drugs to Singapore over several years.

Community

26. I must add that the Home Team could not have achieved our mission without the strong support and partnership from the community. There is a long history of volunteerism in the Home Team.  The Singapore Police Force had enlisted their help through the VSC since 1946.  Volunteers have also been helping Prisons rehabilitate offenders from the 1950s.

27. There are now 11 volunteer schemes with about 15,000 volunteers who serve in many different roles, such as policing and emergency response, fire safety, crime prevention, preventive drug education outreach, and befriending ex-offenders.  Our volunteers serve tirelessly alongside our regular officers.

28. This year, we are pleased to recognise 30 volunteers and partner organisations who will be receiving the Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award.

29. There are also 49 members of public who will be receiving the Minister for Home Affairs Public Spiritedness Award, in recognition of their outstanding acts that have helped to save lives or prevent crime.

Together, as One United People, Keeping Singapore Safe and Secure

Terrorism

30. In a multi-racial and multi-cultural Singapore, a terrorist attack can easily cause fragmentation and distrust within our society. This is one of the threats that the Home Team will continue to draw on the enthusiasm and support of the community partners in order to tackle safety and security challenges.

31. Recent events in our region, such as in Australia and Ulu Tiram in Malaysia, remind us that terrorist groups are not far away nor do they need complicated devices to mount deadly attacks.

32. At the same time, self-radicalisation has become more common.  Just last month, we issued restriction orders to two self-radicalised Singaporeans – one of whom is only 14 years old.

33. The Home Team continuously invests in capabilities to enhance our counter terrorism efforts.

34. This includes having regular exercises with multiple partner agencies to review and coordinate our security plans.

35. We also leverage technology such as drones, which provide real-time images for better situational awareness.

36. But there is only so much our officers and technology can do.  Everyone can and should play an active role.

37. Last year, SGSecure introduced the next phase of the movement with a new tagline “What’s Your Role?”. The Home Team, led by MOS Faishal coordinating many of the efforts, will continue to do our best to detect and prevent any terrorist attack.

38. We also hope to enlist the help of all Singaporeans to be vigilant and prepared, so that we can be more effective together.

Scams

39. Scams are another major challenge.  Scammers are constantly devising new tactics, resulting in many more people falling prey. Last year, the increase in scam cases was largely driven by scams that use social engineering tactics.  Victims were deceived and manipulated to initiate the transfer of monies to scammers. These include job scams, e-commerce scams and fake friend call scams, which saw significant increase in reported cases last year.

40. As scammers shift their tactics to bypass security measures, our strategy in combating scams must also evolve.

41. We have put in place measures to strengthen our legislative frameworks, such as criminalising the misuse of local SIM cards for scams and other activities.

42. We are also working closely with industry partners to improve protection for their customers.

43. For example, since late last year, banks have introduced a “Money Lock” feature which allows customers  to set aside part of their savings that cannot be transferred digitally. Having banks co-locate their staff with the Police at the Anti-Scam Command has also allowed for faster collaboration to trace funds, freeze scam-tainted accounts, and recover scam losses.

44. Since early 2024, staff from online shopping platforms Carousell and Shopee are also co-located at the Anti-Scam Command, which has enhanced our abilities to swiftly take down scam accounts and listings.

45. Of the many types of victims Police deal with, one group remains particularly challenging. These are prospective victims who cannot believe or refuse to believe they are being scammed. SM Teo highlighted this group to our attention some months ago, and we have been focusing our efforts on how to better protect them. These prospective victims, despite being counselled by their family members or even the Police, have become so convinced by the scammers that they willingly hand over their monies.

46. By the time these victims accept reality, it is often too late – the scammer would have cut off contact, and the monies would have left Singapore. Under present laws, Police cannot help their families take further action.  Thus, the Government is studying additional measures to better protect such persons. We will share more details soon and seek the public’s support for these additional measures.

47. Ultimately, our best defence against scams is an informed and discerning public who proactively take actions to enhance their own scam resilience.

48. MOS Sun Xueling leads this effort and will continue to work with community partners on public education.

Conclusion

49. Colleagues and friends, our determined efforts to tackle terrorism and scams reflect the Home Team’s commitment to keep Singapore safe and secure by updating our laws, by improving our detection measures, and also finding new ways to counter these threats.

50. As we celebrate Singapore’s 59th National Day, let us reaffirm the contributions of our Home Team officers and partners.

51. Let us also renew our pledge to stay united as a team, strengthen our cohesion as a community, and contribute to building a better home for all Singaporeans.

52. I wish everyone a Happy National Day!