Singapore and Brunei Seek to Strengthen Cooperation in Law Enforcement and Security

1. Permanent Secretary (Security and Enforcement) and Director of the Internal Security Department at the Prime Minister's Office of Negara Brunei Darussalam Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hamdan bin Haji Abu Bakar is in Singapore from 13 to 15 May 2015 for the inaugural annual meeting between the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Brunei Prime Minister's Office.

2. Dato Hamdan called on Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Minister in the Prime Minister's Office and Second Minister for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs and met with his counterpart Permanent Secretary Leo Yip this morning.

3. During the call on Minister Masagos, Minister Masagos and Dato Hamdan discussed ways to strengthen cooperation between both countries in the areas of law enforcement and security. The discussion focused on how to take the partnership between Singapore and Brunei to the next level after both countries signed a Letter of Intent in September 2014 to strengthen bilateral cooperation in combating crime, including illegal drug trafficking, cybercrime, and security challenges, and enhance the ties between senior officers of both countries. Both countries have agreed to joint training exchanges, with the first scheduled for late 2015.

4. Dato Hamdan also visited the Police Operations Command Centre to understand how the Singapore Police Force (SPF) manages operations.

5. Dato Hamdan is accompanied by the Permanent Secretary (Law and Welfare) and Director of Anti-Corruption Bureau at the Prime Minister's Office of Negara Brunei Darussalam Dato Juanda Abdul Rashid and other senior law enforcement and security officials from the Brunei Prime Minister's Office.