Security Industry Conference 2025 - Speech by Ms Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Ministry of Home Affairs

Mr Peter Lam, Principal and CEO, Temasek Polytechnic

Mr Tristan Norman, Group Director, Nineteen Group

Our Industry partners

Union representatives

Ladies and gentlemen

Introduction

1. A very good morning to all of you. This is my first time attending the Security Industry Conference (SIC), and I want to say thank you for the kind invitation. This year, the SIC is organised as part of the inaugural Security Event Asia – over three days, more than 125 exhibitors will showcase cutting-edge security technology, and expert panels will discuss best practices. I would like to thank Temasek Polytechnic, the Nineteen Group, and our industry associations for their efforts in organising these activities which allow us to learn from one another and celebrate our achievements.

2. It is heartening to see the industry continuing to push for technology and transformation, which are the key thrusts of the Security Industry Transformation Map (ITM). Since the refreshed ITM was launched in 2022, we have achieved much together. We enhanced skills training for security officers, raised security agencies’ operational competencies, and encouraged greater adoption of outcome-based contracting (OBC) and advanced security technologies.

3. These efforts have had a positive impact on the industry. MHA conducted the third Security Industry Survey this year, and we found that security agencies, security officers, and service buyers alike benefitted from Security ITM initiatives. Most security officers were satisfied with the ITM’s progress and felt that it made their jobs better. Many security agencies agreed that the ITM raised industry standards, and compared to 2022, more service buyers felt the ITM positively transformed demand for security services.

4. But we cannot stop there. This year’s SIC theme, “The edge of security: Technology and transformation”, is a reminder to continue pushing the boundaries to overcome perennial, as well as novel challenges. We face increasingly complex security demands and persistent manpower constraints, but we can harness more advanced technologies and progressive practices to overcome these challenges.

5. To do so, we must continue to transform in three key areas: first, provide better support for the security workforce; second, promote progressive contracting practices; and third, ensure that regulatory frameworks improve security outcomes.

6. Allow me to elaborate.

Better Support for the Security Workforce

7. The first area of transformation is to better support our security workforce. One way is to continue to ensure that employers provide reasonable employment terms, to retain and attract workers. We should also ensure that security workers have developmental opportunities, by providing career progression opportunities and relevant training pathways.

8. On reasonable employment terms, security employees must be fairly compensated for their contributions. Thanks to tripartite efforts, security officers continue to earn fair wages under the Progressive Wage Model (PWM) – from 1 January 2026, their basic monthly wage will be increased to $3,090. Some security agencies have gone above and beyond PWM requirements. For example, on top of paying their security officers PWM wages, Metropolis Security Systems offers annual and appreciation bonuses, while Soverus offers performance bonuses and annual wage supplements ^[1] .  I am glad that these firms were among the security agencies recognised by Security Association Singapore as Best Employers. I commend them and other like-minded agencies for their progressive practices, and encourage others to follow suit. I also thank our industry associations for driving initiatives to promote such practices.

9. Beyond remuneration, we need to also explore how we may sustainably improve our security officers’ working conditions. We mentioned at the last SIC that a tripartite study on security officers’ working hours was underway. There is broad tripartite agreement that the working hours of security officers can be improved, and we will continue our efforts to explore how best to do so.

10. Moving on to developmental opportunities . Over the years, we have ensured that security officers have the necessary skills through mandatory training. But, some officers have gone above and beyond, to voluntarily upskill and take on increasingly complex tasks. It is important that we recognise the value they bring and facilitate their career progression. To achieve this, the Government, industry associations, and the Union have come together to review security officers’ job functions at each PWM rank, to recognise that security officers who upskill can perform more complex functions and should be deployed at correspondingly higher PWM ranks.

11. As the industry’s needs evolve, new areas of demand and opportunities arise, and we must update training in tandem. One such area is in the deployment of security technology, which is playing an increasingly important role in security operations. Training pathways must therefore be carved out to meet these demands, and I am happy to announce that SPF’s Centre for Protective Security (CPS), SkillsFuture Singapore, and the Security Solutions Association of Singapore will be launching the Security Technologist track.

12. The Security Technologist track develops individuals with competencies in deploying and maintaining security technology, through curated training pathways for incumbents that want to deepen their expertise as well as mid-career professionals looking to transition into the industry.  More details will be shared in the coming months. The introduction of this track is timely: MHA’s survey indicated that over 80% of security agencies were keen to adopt more advanced security technology. However, many faced challenges with selecting and deploying such technology. Security Technologists can address this gap by providing needed expertise to allow security agencies to confidently deploy advanced technology and reap its benefits.

13. Our security workforce can only deliver good security outcomes if we support them well. Let us continue doing so, not just by equipping them with relevant skills, but also through facilitating their career progression and ensuring their welfare.

Promote Progressive Contracting Practices

14. The second area of transformation is in contracting practices. The key here is to encourage more widespread adoption of OBC, which specifies expected performance levels rather than headcount. Such contracts will help us reduce overall manpower reliance while maintaining good security outcomes.

15. The Government has led the way in OBC adoption, and since mid-2025, all Government Procuring Entities have at least one outcome-based security contract. I am pleased to note that the wider industry is following suit. Over 40% of security agencies surveyed said they bid for at least one outcome-based contract in 2024, up from less than 30% in 2022. It signals that the industry is more aware of the benefits of OBC and are keen to adopt it. Let us all keep up the good work.

16. Service buyers also stand to gain. A success story is the Arts House Group, which effectively implemented OBC across six heritage and arts centres, including Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall. Adopting OBC improved operational efficiency, requiring only 26 instead of 42 security officers across their sites, while also resulting in faster incident detection and less manual reporting. This was done through integrating advanced security technology, such as virtual patrols and AI-assisted surveillance, into security operations. Arts House Group has demonstrated how OBC can optimise operations. Streamlining manpower requirements may also mitigate the long-term impact of rising manpower costs.

17. CPS has also partnered associations and the Union to engage buyers through seminars and dialogues, to address their concerns on OBC and educate them on OBC’s benefits. MHA’s survey showed that our efforts have borne fruit: Almost half of private service buyers that have not adopted OBC expressed interest to do so. This is encouraging, and CPS will continue working with our partners to assist these buyers in moving towards OBC. But our survey also highlighted some knowledge gaps: Some buyers had misconceptions about OBC, and others were unaware of resources and initiatives to encourage OBC. So, we must redouble our efforts and continue working together to reach out and educate buyers on OBC practices and benefits.

18. At the same time, it is important that security agencies boost their capabilities, so that they can implement OBC to benefit themselves and their clients. Security agencies can leverage various resources, such as Workforce Singapore’s Career Conversion Programme (CCP), to redesign jobs and provide value-added services.

19. Triple ‘S’ Protection is one good example. They harnessed the Career Conversion Programme to upskill their security officers and redesign their job scopes. This enabled their security officers to shift away from physical guarding and patrolling, and instead take on enhanced operational roles such as managing autonomous security robot operations. The result? More reliable and value-added security outcomes, and efficient manpower allocation – 49 security officers were freed up and redeployed to other sites.

20. Some of us have seen firsthand the benefits of progressive contracting models. Let us continue expanding our outreach and deepening our capabilities, so that we can effectively implement more OBC.

Review Regulatory Frameworks to Improve Security Outcomes

21. The final area of transformation is on regulations, to raise industry standards and improve security outcomes. By setting high standards, the Government ensures stakeholders are well prepared to respond effectively to new and evolving security challenges. But at the same time, we will work to streamline regulatory processes where feasible, to reduce the administrative burden on the industry.

22. In September this year, we introduced longer licences for certain security companies. For example, security service providers will now be granted three-year licences, compared to one-year licences previously. Security agencies can also look forward to longer licences from 1 July 2026. Security agencies that pass all Security Agencies Competency Evaluation core competencies will be granted three-year instead of one-year licences. Those that pass the required elective competencies, such as “Job Redesign”, will be granted five-year instead of two-year licences. We hope this incentivises security agencies to adopt more progressive practices, and we look forward to seeing more security agencies do so.

23. We have also streamlined administrative processes so that security companies can more easily comply with regulations and focus on more critical tasks. Since September 2025, certain matters that have already been reported to ACRA, such as changes to Directors, no longer need to be reported to the Police Regulatory Department.

Conclusion

24. In closing, we have come this far thanks to strong tripartite efforts, but we must not settle. We must continue to support our workforce, promote progressive contracting models, and enhance our regulatory frameworks to improve security outcomes. Let us continue to push towards the edge of security, to transform and uplift the industry together.

25. Thank you, and let me wish everyone a fruitful and engaging SIC 2025.

[1] An annual wage supplement is commonly known as a thirteenth-month bonus.