Launch of the Restaurant Industry Safety and Security Watch Group and Presentation of Outstanding Community Partnership Awards (OCPA) – Speech by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Home Affairs

Mr Andrew Chan, Vice President of the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS),

Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Lian Ghim Hua,

Industry Partners,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. A very good morning to all of you.

2. I am delighted to join you this morning to launch the Restaurant Industry Safety and Security Watch Group, together with partners from the Restaurant Association of Singapore (RAS). This will be our tenth iSSWG, and I am happy to note that representatives from the other iSSWGs are also present today to witness this milestone.

Strong Partnerships with the Business Community

3. The Industry Safety and Security Watch Groups were first set up in 2008 for the Home Team to work closely with stakeholders at the industry level to address industry-specific safety and security concerns. Since then, we have established iSSWGs across various sectors, including the hotel, manufacturing, chemical, public entertainment, retail, financial, online, logistical, transportation and point-to-point transportation industries.

4. Over the years, these nine iSSWGs have been proactive in taking steps to enhance safety and security within their industry. They have partnered the Police to conduct seminars and workshops on topics ranging from scams to terrorism and road safety. The Hotel iSSWG has taken significant steps by developing comprehensive safety and security guidelines for the hospitality sector. These guidelines are being enhanced to incorporate cybersecurity requirements, reflecting the evolving nature of security threats. Additionally, the Annual Hotel Security Award recognises excellence by hotels in maintaining high security standards, acknowledging both organisational achievements and individual staff contributions in creating a secure environment.

5. We launched the Point-to-Point Transport iSSWG last year. You have just watched a new security advisory video, which was produced through the collaborative efforts of SPF, the National Taxi Association and National Private Hire Vehicles Association. The video features two dedicated members from the Associations, Mr Henry Loh and Ms Ang Li Wei, and how their alertness and immediate action have prevented a potential security incident.

6. Of course, this is a hypothetical scenario. But it highlights the important role that the members of the Point-to-Point Transport iSSWG could play, as they ply the roads and interact with people in their day-to-day work. Everyone in the community can and must play a part in keeping Singapore safe and secure.

7. This is the first of more videos that will be rolled out with our iSSWG partners, with subsequent videos covering topics such as crime, scams, and road safety. Through these videos, we aim to showcase the strong partnership between police and stakeholders from the various industries in enhancing public safety and security and further reinforce our public education efforts.

Enhancing Safety and Security at Restaurants

8. Today’s launch of the Restaurant iSSWG marks an important step forward in protecting our restaurant sector from crime and security threats. We have seen incidents overseas where terrorists had targeted crowded public places, including restaurants. Many of us would remember the Lindt Café siege in December 2014 where a lone gunman held ten customers and eight employees hostage in a terrorist attack in a Lindt Chocolate Café in Sydney, Australia. More recently, in November 2020, there was a coordinated terrorist attack in Vienna, Austria, which targeted multiple locations including restaurants and bars in the city center. The attack was carried out during the dinner hours, killing four civilians and injuring 23 persons. These incidents show how dining establishments have been and continue to be attractive targets ^[1] .

9. As a major food hub and tourist destination, Singapore's vibrant restaurant scene must be vigilant to safety and security threats. Security awareness and emergency preparedness is essential for everyone in the F&B industry, as well as for the patrons, to ensure that we can continue to enjoy a restaurant scene that is lively, thriving and safe.

10. Beyond addressing security concerns, the restaurant industry can also come together and share information on crimes and scams with employees and patrons. In 2024, there were more than 51,000 scam cases reported and over $1.1 billion was lost. Our F&B industry was not spared from the scourge of scams.

11. In a scam variant that targeted the restaurant industry, scammers posed as teachers from academic institutions in Singapore and contacted restaurants, retailers, or service-related businesses via phone calls or WhatsApp messages. The scammers would make bulk orders or reservations before requesting for additional items, or specific brands of items that the businesses typically did not stock. They might also place orders in high quantities that the restaurants would not be able to fulfil at short notice. The purported customer would then recommend a “supplier” to the victims to help them fulfil the order. After the victims made advance payments for orders with the fake supplier, the scammers become uncontactable.

12. The Police has circulated advisories of this scam targeting businesses. As iSSWG members, you are the first line of defence. Your vigilance and prompt reporting of suspicious vendors to the authorities can help prevent others from falling for these scams.

13. The Police will continue to work with RAS and send relevant and timely crime and scam advisories, so that members can be alerted early. Police will also be sharing insights on safety and security measures at various RAS platforms. I encourage RAS and all members of the Restaurant iSSWG to share such crime advisories with your staff as well as your customers so that together, we can be stronger in our defence against crimes and scams.

Honouring Recipients of the Outstanding Community Partnership Award

14. Apart from launching the Restaurant iSSWG today, we will also be recognising 40 organisations for their close collaboration with the SPF. These 40 organisations will be receiving the Outstanding Community Partnership Awards. The Outstanding Community Partnership Award recognises partners of the SPF that exemplify the spirit of collaboration and have made significant contributions to make Singapore safe and secure.

15. One of our award recipients today is Mummy Yummy, a restaurant that goes beyond serving meals. Mummy Yummy supports the vulnerable through meal distribution, befriending, on-demand support as well as well-being checks. They serve about 12,000 unique individuals island wide through daily or monthly meals with the support of 200 volunteers.

16. Mummy Yummy partnered SPF to conduct scam prevention education to the elderly during their outreach activities. Their dedicated volunteers had undergone anti-scam training by SPF and regularly receive updates on the latest scams trends.

17. Mummy Yummy has played a vital role in educating the elderly and vulnerable from about 1,000 households in the community on how to protect themselves from scams. And as you can see, such meaningful initiatives to help the community can be incorporated into your organisations’ network and outreach, so that more people can be made aware of prevailing safety or security concerns.

18. There are also 39 equally deserving organisations, which will receive the award for their outstanding commitment and dedication to crime prevention and enhancing public safety and security. I would like to extend my appreciation and heartiest congratulations to all recipients. Thank you for your contributions towards a safer Singapore.

Conclusion

19. Ladies and gentlemen, Singapore has come a long way since independence. The peace and safety that we enjoy in Singapore today are achieved through the joint efforts of our security agencies and our people. As we celebrate SG60 this year, we must constantly remind ourselves not to take the safety and security of Singapore for granted.

20. The strong partnership between the Police and the community, including stakeholders from various industries must continue. Thank you for your steadfast support. Together, with the united strength of our community, we can continue to build a safer and more secure Singapore.

21. On this note, I wish everyone a fruitful networking session.

22. Thank you very much.

[1] www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54838016 ↗ (opens in new tab)