Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Guidelines and Monitoring Mechanisms Pertaining to Large Congregation of Persons by Mr Desmond Lee, Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Home Affairs and Ministry for National Development

Question:

Assoc Prof Fatimah Lateef: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs what are the guidelines and monitoring mechanisms in place pertaining to the large congregations of persons, especially over the weekends and holidays, in the vicinity of Paya Lebar and Tanjong Katong Complex.

Answer:

Mr Desmond Lee: The vicinity of Paya Lebar is popular among foreign workers, especially on Sundays. They tend to gather around the Paya Lebar MRT station and nearby shopping malls such as City Plaza, 1KM Mall and Tanjong Katong Complex.

2. The Police patrol these areas to engage the foreign workers on crime prevention messages and also advise them to abide by the law. POLCAM CCTV cameras are deployed at public areas to deter crime, and help Police detect and respond to incidents. The foreigners are generally law abiding and orderly.

3. To manage social disamenities, Police also deploy Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) to conduct daily high visibility patrols in the vicinity of Paya Lebar MRT, Tanjong Katong Complex and City Plaza, particularly in the evenings. The APOs take enforcement action against littering, urinating in public and smoking in prohibited places.

4. The Police also regularly engage the security guards at Paya Lebar Square, 1KM Mall and City Plaza. The security guards are advised to look out for suspicious behavior and highlight any issues to Police immediately.

5. The Police will continue to monitor closely the congregation of crowds in the vicinity of Paya Lebar.