MHA Scholarship and Sponsorship Presentation Ceremony 2019 - Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Home Affairs

Award recipients,

Family members and Guests,

Home Team colleagues,

Ladies and gentlemen,

1. Good evening and welcome.

2. This evening, we will be presenting scholarship, sponsorship and study awards to 197 Home Team officers, including those who are awarded the new MHA Science and Technology sponsorship.

3. To all of our award recipients, congratulations and well done.MHA Book Prizes

4. Tonight, I will also be presenting the MHA Book Prize to 9 Home Team officers pursuing the BA (Honours) In Criminology and Security Programme, which is offered by the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) in collaboration with the University of Liverpool (UOL).A Ready Home Team for a Safe and Secure Singapore

5. Singapore is one of the safest cities in the world.

6. We are able to enjoy peace and stability because of:

7. The security landscape will continue to evolve rapidly with new challenges and threats emerging.

8. Terrorism has taken new forms over the years from attacks by terrorist groups to the emergence of self-radicalised lone wolf attacks.

9. The fight against drugs will also become more challenging.

10. On another front, cybercrimes are getting more sophisticated with technological advances being also used and misused by bad guys. We have seen an increase in online scams, as well as cyberattacks, such as the one on SingHealth which compromised the personal information of patients.

11. As our operating environment gets more complex and with limited resources, we need to adapt and transform to stay ahead of those who seek to jeopardise the safety and security of our people.

12. The Home Team Transformation which we started since 2015 aims to make the Home Team more effective and prepared for all challenges. a)     We will leverage technology aggressively. b)     We will continue to forge strong collaborations with international and local partners.c)     We will build stronger one-Home Team operations.Investing in Our People is our Key Priority

13. At the heart of it, people are our key pillars for success. We will keep investing in our Home Team workforce to realise the vision of Home Team transformation. a)     We continue to attract talented and passionate people who relate and can resonate with our purpose to join the Home Team. b)     We also provide structured and purposeful development opportunities.

14. We also offer different career pathways for a meaningful and enriching career. Expert tracks have been created to allow our officers to deepen their specialist skills and develop in their career. SPF and SCDF have implemented expert tracks in 2016 and 2019 respectively. Other Home Team Departments will implement this way of operating in future. The MHA Science and Technology Sponsorship launched last year also allows our officers to deepen their specialist skills.

15. MHA will continue to explore new developmental opportunities to ensure a skilled, competent and ready workforce. We are encouraged that there are many dedicated Home Team officers who strive for excellence in their work and take a keen interest in your own development. Let me share two examples.

16. The first is Sergeant (3) Ryan Ling Xiao Wen from SPF, who fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a police officer by signing on at the age of 19 before his National Service. Ryan started as a Ground Response Officer and was later selected to join the Emergency Response Team. Ryan constantly struggled with the notion that he was lagging behind his peers as they were in university. He persevered and successfully applied for a scholarship at his second attempt. Ryan will be pursuing a Bachelor of Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering at the National University of Singapore this year, and he hopes to learn new ways to equip ground officers with better equipment and technology. Well done, Ryan!

17. I also want to share the story of Senior Warrant Officer (1) Mohammad Iskandar from SCDF, who had to work to support his family after completing his National Service. He thought about taking a part-time degree on his own but career and family took precedence. Now at age 45, he will be embarking on a Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Engineering with a minor in Paramedicine and Emergency Response at the Singapore University of Social Science. He hopes that this will encourage his children and colleagues to keep a positive perspective towards lifelong learning. He is truly an inspiration as well.Conclusion

18. In conclusion, MHA is committed to providing our officers with a meaningful and challenging career, and developing them to their fullest potential.

19. I wish all our award recipients every success in your studies and look forward to your return so that you can keep contributing to the Home Team, keep contributing to Singapore. It is such an apt occasion, as this is the National Day weekend, and there is also Hari Raya Haji.

20. It is certainly great to see so many of the family members of our officers who are here to cheer them on and support them, because behind every Home Team officer, we know there is a family, there is a network of friends, people who care about them, give them the support, and also make provisions for their unusual work hours and all the demands of the work that are not necessarily the same in other kinds of professions. So to all our recipients and also to your family members, thank you and Happy National Day in advance.