Launch of SGSecure Roadshow \Our Response Matters. We Make SGSecure\" - Speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law"

Volunteers,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. A very good morning to all of you. What you saw today is an attempt to try and bring into the heartlands and malls, a greater awareness of SGSecure and the need for us to be better prepared. We are trying to get the mall owners, the store operators and the people who go into them, as well as our residents and users of the mall, used to the idea of how we can be better prepared.

2. We launched the SGSecure movement three years ago in 2016. There has been a number of programmes; Emergency Preparedness Days in every constituency; knocking of doors of pretty much every household - explaining what SGSecure is, together with our partners, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), People’s Association (PA), Ministry of Education (MOE), and the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY). We have conducted talks in all the schools, and have had counter-terrorism seminars, which have taught people life-saving skills if they get caught in a terror attack. Also, life-saving skills like Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR), which can help you even in other situations. In a number of cases, the people we have trained saw others in difficulties in trains or in nearby residences - they gave CPR and saved lives. It could be your loved ones, it could be someone in your family, so it is a very important life skill.

3. We are hoping to make as many of the tenants and store owners here SGSecure ambassadors -  tell them about SGSecure, keep them updated, and to train them and their employees. We have to make sure that places like these are geared up. I am personally happy with the progress. We are going to do this in as many malls as possible all over Singapore, to spread the message. We are grateful for the very strong support that all of you –the religious institutions, the community organisations, the partners - have given.

4. I wish all of you a very good morning again, and thank you very much for the support. I hope the message keeps getting put out.

5. Thank you very much.