Opening Ceremony of the Home Team Tactical Centre - Speech by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Colleagues,

Good afternoon. We are here today to officially open the Home Team Tactical Centre or HTTC.The HTTC will bring together new and improved training facilities of the Special Operations Command (SOC),the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (DART), the Hazardous Materials (HazMat) Team, as well as other units. These specialised Home Team units can now train together, under one roof, and that  is a significant step towards a more integrated Home Team, part of our process of better integrating the entire Home Team.

A MORE REALISTIC AND COMPLEX TRAINING ENVIRONMENT

2     Our officers, as we all know, face complex high-risk missions, 24/7, from large-scale petrochemical fires, to terrorist attacks and everything in between. Different Home Team Agencies are required to respond together  to these situations.

3     This is going to require realistic, regular joint training. This centre will help provide that. The facilities here include a tactical live-firing range complex which will allow police officers to train in urban settings, an urban search and rescue facility which will simulate a collapsed building site and a chemical hub training facility that will simulate fires in a petrochemical plant and many others.

ENHANCING OPERATIONAL SYNERGY

4     The co-location of the SPF and SCDF training facilities iis extremely important because it is going to provide opportunities for exercising, and improving joint plans.  For example, the tactical maneuvering area can be used for joint public order exercises and drills. And a combination of training facilities can also be used to simulate complex terrorism scenarios, including  multiple attacks followed by a bomb explosion involving casualties.

5     That sort of joint training will allow both SPF and SCDF responders to familiarise themselves with each other's contingency plans and capabilities, and respond more effectively and efficiently together as a team.

TOWARDS A MORE INTEGRATED HOME TEAM

6     Over the next few years, new training facilities will be added to HTTC. These include a 200m live-firing range complex, and a training village to practise tactical operations in built up areas. Over time, we will consolidate the operating and logistics bases of the SPF and SCDF specialised units. New facilities and technology can be used more effectively only if we have capable, committed officers. We are very fortunate in the Home Team to have such officers.

7     Our officers of specialised units have proven themselves over the years in many different scenarios. They have laid a firm foundation for what the Home Team is today, and what it can be tomorrow. It is their clear sense of mission, teamwork, and commitment that will keep Singapore safe and secure.

CONCLUSION

8     The new centre will ensure that our officers continue to be operationally ready and are prepared to respond when called upon. It is my pleasure to declare the Home Team Tactical Centre open today and to be here with you all.  Thank you.