2024 Review (Part 1)

TOWARDS A DRUG FREE SG

To tackle the local drug situation, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) continued to intensify efforts in preventive drug education, community engagement and enforcement in 2024. 

Rallying for the Anti-Drug Cause 

a. Minister’s Dialogue with DrugFreeSG Champions

On 22 February, the dialogue at Expo Max Atria kickstarted the Inter-Ministry Committee (IMC) on Drug Prevention for Youths' initiatives. The event equipped the Champions with a good understanding of the harms of drugs, the necessity of drug prevention, as well as Singapore's drug control strategy. 

The IMC, chaired by Minister K Shanmugam was formed in August 2023 to better tackle the youth drug abuse situation in Singapore via a co-ordinated approach involving various government agencies, schools, parents, the community and other stakeholders. 

Over 1000 DrugFreeSG Champions, identified by the IMC ministries and agencies, have been appointed to amplify preventive drug education (PDE) messages among youths and counter misinformation on drugs. These Champions include those who interact with youths in their work, such as teachers, youth leaders and coaches.

b. Ministerial Statement on Singapore’s National Drug Control Policy

In the Statement on 8 May, Minister K Shanmugam addressed the misinformation on our drug policies. He shared Singapore’s comprehensive efforts to keep the nation safe from drugs through robust enforcement, effective PDE, as well as rehabilitation and reintegration for abusers. He said that the IMC will roll out various anti-drug initiatives starting from 2024, such as the Drug Victims Remembrance Day. 

About 120 former drug abusers and their families were invited to a reception held in conjunction with the Statement. They watched the delivery of the Statement at Parliament House in the Public Gallery via livestream. Minister of State (MOS) Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim gave opening remarks at the reception, commending the desisted former drug abusers and thanking their loved ones for supporting them. He reiterated the importance of building our community’s resilience to drugs.

c. Inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day

On 17 May, Minister K Shanmugam led the observance of the inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. The significance of this day is to remember the victims of drugs by creating awareness of how family and society, apart from abusers, are harmed by drugs.   

At the exhibition from 17 to 19 May at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza, visitors were brought on an immersive and thought-provoking journey. The exhibits included a life-sized mock-up of a home grappling with the effects of drug abuse and multi-sensory, interactive displays that foster awareness and self-reflection on the global and local drug situation. Through them, visitors learnt about the repercussions of drug abuse on the family and society, as well as discovered ways to protect themselves and their families. The exhibition continued roving across the heartlands from 24 May to 21 July to reach more in the community.

d. Rebranded DrugFreeSG (DFSG) Advocacy Network 

The DFSG Appreciation Dinner is held annually to recognise the efforts of volunteers and community partners and thank them for their support of the drug-free cause. 

At this year’s event on 21 November, MOS Faishal announced the rebranding of the Anti-Drug Abuse Advocate (A3) Network to the DFSG Advocacy Network. The rebranding aligns the Network’s branding with the branding of other DFSG advocacy initiatives and consolidates volunteers aged 17 years and above under a single scheme managed directly by CNB.

Fighting Drugs with Technology 

CNB is jointly evaluating the Instant Hair Test kit with the Home Team Science and Technology Agency and Singapore Prison Service (SPS). The kit allows on-the-spot testing for possible drug consumption using a person’s hair as the testing medium. It can also detect drug abuse over a longer time period, compared to testing urine specimens.  

This project enhances CNB’s enforcement capabilities and reduces disruption to drug supervisees’ daily lives, thus aiding their reintegration into the community.

CNB On The Move 

In an island-wide anti-drug operation from 6 to 17 May, CNB officers arrested 159 suspected drug offenders and seized a total of about 937g of heroin, 376g of ‘Ice’, 161g of cannabis, six grammes of ketamine, 102 ‘Yaba’ tablets, 32 ‘Ecstasy’ tablets, 22 Erimin-5 tablets, one lysergic acid diethylamide stamp, three bottles of liquid suspected to contain gamma-hydroxybutyrate and four pots of cannabis plants. The drugs seized have an estimated street value of about $221,000. 

The youngest arrested was a 14-year-old male Secondary Two Singaporean student. He was arrested for suspected drug abuse. CNB also arrested a 18-year-old Singaporean man in a Yishun residential unit on 16 May where a pot of cannabis plant and three posts containing dried-up remnants of cannabis plants were recovered. Preliminary investigations found that the man had been attempting to cultivate cannabis plants, an offence under Section 10 of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1973.

Strengthening Laws 

CNB completed a review of the First Schedule of the MDA Act 1973. Four more New Psychoactive Substances (NPS) were listed and the definition of ‘cannabinol derivatives’ was expanded since 1 June. This ensures that emerging NPS and cannabinol variants can be dealt with as controlled drugs under the Act, especially as novel NPS still surface each year and new cannabinol derivatives have emerged.

STRENGTHENING GAMBLING REGULATION, AMPLIFYING GRA'S ROLE.

Casino Control (Amendment) Act 2024 

The Act marks a significant enhancement to Singapore’s casino regulatory framework, by reinforcing its operational effectiveness, tightening regulations and enhancing protection for vulnerable groups. The first tranche of amendments took effect on 30 October.

GRA’s Social Media Presence 

The Gambling Regulatory Authority (GRA) took a significant step in its digital communications journey by launching its Facebook and Instagram accounts to raise awareness of its regulatory role. The accounts aim to bring GRA’s mission to life through educational insights to clarify misconceptions on gambling regulations, features on GRA officers and updates in the gambling landscape. 

Follow GRA’s Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates.

Inaugural Sustainability Report 

GRA published the report on its sustainability strategies, policies and efforts in achieving GreenGov.SG targets. Find out more about the report here.

Best Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) Award 

GRA’s corporate website was among the winners for the SEO Award (Category A) at the Digital Services Awards 2024.

TOWARDS CORRECTIONS 2030. CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF YRP.

Launch of Corrections 2030

During the SPS-YRSG Corporate Advance on 30 April, SPS and Yellow Ribbon Singapore (YRSG) launched Corrections 2030 for the next bound of transformation in corrections. Corrections 2030 is anchored on five strategies:

1. S.M.A.R.T. prison - Safe and secure place of incarceration, in which we provide Multidisciplinary interventions, delivered in an Agile manner, to achieve the best possible Rehabilitation outcomes for inmates, including the leveraging of Technology and data;

2. Uplifting and strengthening inmates’ families;

3. Maximising employability and career progression of inmates and ex-offenders;

4. Mobilising the community; and 

5. Developing our Captains of Lives. 

As the social enablers of Corrections 2030, SPS and YRSG will uplift inmates’ employability and increase their social and community capital, contributing towards a safer Singapore.

International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA) Annual Conference 2024 & Yellow Ribbon Community Day

SPS hosted the ICPA Annual Conference 2024 from 1 to 6 September. Themed “Enabling Desistance: Beyond Recidivism”, it covered a wide range of topics on enabling desistance and brought together more than 800 correctional practitioners and community partners from over 70 jurisdictions to share best practices and learn from one another, to advance the standards of corrections. 

On 4 September, SPS launched the Yellow Ribbon Community Day as part of the Host of Regional Day within the Conference, where ICPA delegates and SPS community partners (including desistors) shared their experiences in supporting desistance. SPS shared how we use the Singapore Correctional Model to guide our operational, rehabilitation and reintegration approach to promote long-term desistance. 

On the last day of the conference, participants visited correctional facilities including prisons, drug rehabilitation centres, community spaces and halfway houses. They learnt how SPS ensures the safe and secure custody of inmates and ex-offenders, as well as facilitates their rehabilitation and reintegration. 

Yellow Ribbon Project (YRP) 20th Anniversary 

This year marks 20 years of the YRP in championing second chances for ex-offenders. A new campaign tagline, ‘Don’t just wear a Yellow Ribbon. Be One.’, was launched to encourage stronger community advocacy and active participation in the second chances movement. 

As part of the anniversary celebrations, inmates and ex-offenders showcased their talents to the community through a series of events:

a. Moving HeARTS in the City in August

This art exhibition in a roving truck showcased 41 art pieces created by inmates from the Visual Arts Hub and Arts Behind Bars programmes and ex-offenders from CANVAS (an organisation that supports ex-offenders in using art to heal and express themselves). The largest patchwork blanket, which entered the Singapore Book of Records, was also showcased at the launch of the exhibition. 

b. Yellow Ribbon Prison Run on 1 September

Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong flagged off the Run which saw more than 11,000 participants, including young participants aged between 6 and 12 in the new 700m Kids Dash category.

c. ‘Celebrating 20 Years of Second Chances’ Concert on 17 October

Graced by Mr Teo Chee Hean, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, more than 4,000 attendees, including representatives from the various Government agencies, community partners, volunteers, members of the public, and ex-offenders attended the concert.

d. Yellow Ribbon: Our Journey of Second Chances Web Publication

To commemorate the YRP journey, SPS and YRSG produced a web publication themed “Yellow Ribbon: Our Journey of Second Chances”, which comprises three parts.

Read Part 1 ‘Unlocking the Second Prison’ here.  

Read Part 2 ‘Celebrating Second Chances’ here.

Read Part 3 ‘We Are Each Other’s Second Chances’ here.    

A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR YELLOW RIBBON STORY

Digital Services Awards 

YRSG won the ‘Best Search Engine Optimisation Award’ and the ‘Best Accessibility Award’ for its corporate website at the Digital Services Awards 2024. These awards recognise that the website is easily discoverable on search engines and provides seamless access to public information for all users.

Launch of YRSG’s TikTok Account 

In conjunction with YRSG’s 48th anniversary, CEO YRSG Sunny Lee launched YRSG’s official TikTok account on 28 March.

Project Beyond Hiring 

Project Beyond Hiring (PBH) is an initiative where YRSG engages, trains and builds a network of workplace supervisors to uplift employers and enhance workplace support for ex-offenders. YRSG held two runs of PBH in June and November with partner employers from diverse industries such as food and beverage, logistics, environmental services and telecommunication.

Yellow Ribbon Fund Charity Golf & Dinner 

The Yellow Ribbon Fund (YRF) held the 9th edition of its Charity Golf and Dinner and celebrated its 20th anniversary. The event on 20 March raised a total of $568,096. Proceeds from YRF’s charity events over the last 20 years have helped over 70,000 beneficiaries through the funding of various programmes, such as the YRF Skills Training Assistance to Restart Bursary.

Limited Edition Hope Bears

A limited-edition set of Hope Bears was launched to commemorate YRP’s 20th anniversary. The bears embody YRP's ongoing commitment to advocate for second chances for inmates and ex-offenders, with each bear symbolising the journey towards becoming a desistor. The funds from the sale of the bears are used to support rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for inmates, ex-offenders and their families.