Increased Safety Measures for Staff and Volunteers of Places of Workship

Question:

Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of the recent knife attack incident in a place of worship, whether there are any increased safety measures to be taken and awareness or training on emergency or crisis response, for staff and volunteers of all places of worship with regard to such emergency situations.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1. The Government has in place various measures to ensure the safety and security of places of worship. The Police conduct patrols in areas where there is potentially more crime, for example where we have received more reports from members of the public. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) works with places of worship through its Crisis Preparedness for Religious Organisations programme, where religious organisations participate in security self-assessments, develop contingency plans, attend counter-terrorism seminars, and have their employees and volunteers trained in skills such as psychological first aid.

2. These efforts complement the Ministry of Home Affairs’ broader public engagement through the SGSecure movement, together with our partner agencies. These outreach efforts include sharing advisories such as “Run-Hide-Tell” and “Press-Tie-Tell”, as well as the importance of learning emergency preparedness skills such as first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the use of Automated External Defibrillator.

3. After the November 2024 knife attack at St Joseph’s Church, MCCY engaged various places of worship to remind them of relevant security advisories by SGSecure. The Police also engaged the relevant stakeholders to put in place appropriate security measures.

4. We will continue with these measures and programmes to ensure safety and emergency preparedness at our places of worship.