SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AT APEC MEETING

SECURITY ARRANGEMENTS AT APEC MEETING:

(Involvement of law enforcement agencies): 13.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many Home Team officers, and from which law enforcement agencies, were taken out of their ordinary duties in their respective units and deployed for the APEC meeting in November 2009; (b) other than the Home Team, which other state agencies supplied manpower to cater for security arrangements during the meeting; and (c) to what extent (in percentage terms or numbers) were the respective units functioning below ordinary staffing levels during this period.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: Mr Speaker, Sir, the successful organisation of APEC Singapore 2009 reflected the collective effort of various Government agencies and stakeholders. And we are proud to have delivered a positive and memorable "Singapore Experience" for 15,000 delegates and visitors.

As host for a major international event such as APEC, it is our duty to ensure the safety and security of delegates and Singaporeans. To do anything less would be irresponsible. To this end, various security measures were implemented at the meeting venues. On average, each day, during the APEC Leaders’ Week, we had about 1,300 Police officers deployed on the ground to perform security duties. This comprised about 950 regular Police officers and about 300 Police NSFs. Apart from the Police, some SAF officers were also deployed at the peak of the event to assist.

During the APEC Leaders’ Week, operational units in the Home Team were able to continue to function at close to their ordinary staffing levels. The performance of key functions was not compromised. Key frontline units continued to have the necessary manpower and resources to carry out their operations effectively. This was achieved through careful forward planning. First, we minimised the number of officers who had to be re-deployed away from key frontline operational units like the Neighbourhood Police Centres. We also regulated leave and activated off-duty personnel, and temporarily put on hold some of the functions such as training.

Second, we augmented our numbers by recalling NSmen as well as contracting Auxiliary Police Officers and unarmed Security Officers to help manage security operations. In addition, many voluntary Special Constabulary Officers also stepped forward to help out the Home Team. With these arrangements, we were able to reduce the staffing requirements for APEC to a manageable level. This I understand is a relatively lean number compared to the number of officers deployed at previous APEC meetings in other countries.

We also know that an event like APEC would put a lot of pressure on our officers to do a good job to ensure that our visitors and Singaporeans are not too greatly inconvenienced. Our officers were also expected to deal with the security threats or other law and order issues. Hence, we put in place several measures to monitor the morale of our Home Team Officers throughout the APEC preparations, before and during the APEC Leaders’ Week.

The reports from our psychologists who conducted these morale-sensing measures found that Home Team Officers’ morale was consistently high. Prior to the Leaders’ Week, our psychologists conducted Focus Group sessions with Home Team officers. Feedback collected was immediately raised to management so that any issues or concerns could be resolved before operations commenced. During the APEC Leaders’ Week, dedicated teams of psychologists and welfare officers continually monitored morale on the ground. Issues raised by officers were surfaced daily to senior commanders so that they could be quickly addressed.

Sir, the APEC gave Home Team officers the opportunity to contribute to a milestone event of national and international significance. Home Team officers were proud to be part of this effort. The officers understood the importance of their roles in the challenge of keeping the delegates and Singapore safe and secure. I highly commend all our officers for sacrificing their time to undertake such an important duty successfully.

We have many reasons to be proud of the successful hosting of APEC. Unlike some previous APEC meetings in other countries, Singapore’s APEC meetings went on peacefully without security problems, mass protests or law and order problems. And this was achieved without having to shut down the city centre and declare a public holiday like in some countries. The delegates and many visiting business leaders thanked Singapore for handling the arrangements, including the security arrangements, effectively and efficiently. This would not have been possible without the collective efforts of all stakeholders and a cooperative public, who, like the Home Team, recognised the importance of keeping the Singapore flag flying high. Our officers know that their extra efforts were for an important cause and also know that Singaporeans and the Government are grateful to them for the part they played in maintaining security throughout the APEC meetings.