Home Team Sponsorship Award Ceremony 2024 – Speech by Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of National Development

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. A very good morning. I’m so happy to be here on such a meaningful occasion. Congratulations to all sponsorship award recipients!

A Dynamic Operating Environment

2. You are at the start of a meaningful career journey in the Home Team, where you will be part of a team of committed and dedicated officers whose mission is to keep Singapore safe and secure.

(a) Singapore remains one of the safest countries in the world. In the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2023, we were ranked one of the top three countries in the ‘Order and Security’ category for the seventh time in a row.

(b) Trust in the Home Team remains high. In the Home Team Perception Survey 2022, over 9 in 10 respondents surveyed said that they personally trust the Home Team.

3. We must continue to maintain our capabilities amidst the dynamic operating environment that we face, which gives rise to new security challenges over time.

(a) Some of these challenges are brought on by technology such as Artificial Intelligence or AI.  Cybercrime and scams continue to be on the rise, with criminals exploiting new capabilities like AI deepfakes to conduct impersonation scams.

(b) We also face challenges brought by changing societal values. For example, we are seeing more permissive attitudes among youths towards drugs.

(c) There are also challenges associated with international tensions and geopolitical instability. The ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas conflict and US-China tensions have spillover effects in Singapore and on our society.

A Career in the Home Team

4. How well the Home Team does depends on our people. This is why we place strong emphasis on attracting individuals who possess the passion and drive for the work of the Home Team.  And after they join us, we invest heavily in their professional and career development.

(a) We have developed a Home Team Competency Framework to systemically identify relevant new skills that officers should acquire, and ensure officers are trained in a timely manner. For example, with the changes in our operating environment, we have placed considerable importance on the digital upskilling of officers. Some digital tools that we are training officers to be familiar with include Robotic Process Automation or RPA, data analytics and application development.

(b) We also provide monetary support for officers to learn, upskill, and reskill. Officers can claim up to $700 per financial year to take up any learning activities beyond their working hours, as long as they fall within the Home Team Competency Framework and contribute to the Home Team’s mission.

5. As the Home Team continually innovates and transforms, leveraging on technology, we also offer exciting work opportunities that enable officers to develop and grow their skills.

(a) One such example is the ongoing work in transforming the Home Team’s operations and public-facing services. ICA is rolling out the New Clearance Concept at the checkpoints. By the middle of this year, 95% of arriving travellers at the airport will be able to clear immigration using automated lanes. Contactless clearance will also be introduced in the second half of this year, allowing travellers to be identified and cleared via biometrics at the automated lanes without presenting their passports. ICA also aims to operationalise its new Services Centre in 2025, which offers a customer-centric approach by providing a single touchpoint to meet the public’s multiple immigration needs. For instance, documents such as passports can be collected through self-service kiosks during the Centre’s operating hours, without the need to book an appointment.

(b) Officers can also work on developing new technological capabilities for the Home Team. For instance, we are building Home Team-wide UAV capabilities so that all Home Team Departments can make more effective use of drones to respond to emergency incidents. We are also exploring the use of speech-to-text AI technology for the transcription of video recorded interviews.

6. Over the course of an officer’s career, we offer multiple pathways for success.

(a) Officers who wish to specialise in their areas of technical competencies can advance their career in the Expert Tracks, which allow them to build specialist competencies and deep capabilities in domains critical to HTDs. Over the years, we have developed expert tracks in domains such as Investigations, Intelligence, Special Operations, Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Response and Urban Search and Rescue (USAR). We are currently looking to introduce a new Paramedicine Expert Track.

(b) As we review our concept of operations and use more data and technology, we are also redesigning our officers’ work and creating higher value jobs. Take the example I mentioned earlier. The automation of immigration clearance has led to a redesign of ICA’s officers’ job scope. Some officers are now being re-trained to perform higher value tasks such as profiling and investigative interviews.

7. At the same time, we regularly review our compensation package to ensure we remunerate our officers competitively. On 1 Nov 2023, we increased our sign-on bonus for junior officers to between $30,000 and $35,000 for the Home Affairs Uniformed Scheme and Home Affairs Services (ICA) schemes.

8. The Home Team is a good place to work. We did well in the biannual Public Sector Employee Engagement Survey, with several Home Team agencies ranking among the high-scoring public agencies in the last two Surveys. In 2023, we were awarded the bronze award for ‘Excellence in Work-Life Harmony’ at the HR Excellence Awards.

9. The Home Team is a big Ministry that comprises the Ministry Headquarters and 10 departments. We are committed to the Home Team Concept where we collaborate and work together as One Home Team, because this enables us to achieve even more than if any department worked on its own. We also place strong emphasis on our officers discharging their duties with honour, where they act with integrity and professionalism, and have the courage to do what is right. This will give the public confidence in the Home Team and enable us to maintain the trust that the public has in us to keep them safe and secure.

10. The work of the Home Team is meaningful. We work alongside our volunteers, some of whom have been with us for many years. Our Home Team officers, including those who are already retired, continue to engage with the volunteers, as they feel strongly towards contributing to the cause of keeping Singapore safe and secure for our families and future generations.

Attracting the Best and Developing them for Success

11. We recruit strong candidates into the Home Team because we are investing in the future safety and security of Singapore.

12. Our award recipients today should be proud as they were chosen after a rigorous selection exercise. This year, we are awarding the sponsorship to 23 outstanding recipients. All our recipients have demonstrated good character and competence, and have a desire to serve Singaporeans through the Home Team.

(a) Some were inspired by Home Team officers and have followed their footsteps. One such recipient is Nur Irdina Batrisyia Binte Shamsulrahuman, who is receiving the ITE Sponsorship. Irdina’s father is a retired SPF officer.

(b) Some became interested in the Home Team through their co-curricular experiences in school. Lucas Tee Kian Wei, who is receiving the Diploma (Merit) SPF award, joined the National Police Cadet Corps in secondary school. This sparked his interest in the Home Team. Today, he also actively volunteers as a Cadet Inspector in his secondary school, training his NPCC juniors.

(c) Others have already started contributing in the Home Team:

(i) Muhammad Danish Bin Sugiman, who is receiving the Diploma (Study) SCDF award, has experience attending to emergency medical needs. During his National Service, he was attached to the SAF Medical Response Force. During his school vacation, he worked part-time as a private ambulance medic, at times leading the crew to attend to medical cases. These experiences reinforced his interest to serve the SCDF and save lives.

(ii) Saligumba John Karl Ivan Garcia is receiving the Diploma (Merit) CNB award. He was a past volunteer with Yellow Ribbon Singapore, and his interactions with ex-drug offenders reinforced his interest to join the CNB.

13. Congratulations once again to every one of our award recipients. I feel happy for all of you. We look forward to your contributions to the Home Team after you have graduated from your studies.

Conclusion

14. To teachers, parents and representatives from our academic institutions, thank you for the strong support you have given to the award recipients. You must be very proud of them.

15. To our award recipients, today’s award marks the start of your career journey with the Home Team. It is just the beginning. As you embark on your academic studies. I hope that you will continue to develop yourselves and bring your best to the Home Team. I wish all of you a successful journey ahead.

16. Thank you.