MINISTRY OF HOME AFFAIRS

PROF S JAYAKUMAR Minister for Home Affairs

We will ensure internal stability by effectively enforcing law and order, tackling the drug menace and enhancing civil defence preparedness.

Priority Tasks

We will begin the 3-4 year exercise to re-register all Singaporeans for the new and more secure national registration identity cards.

We will finalise legislation to seize assets derived from drug trafficking.

The Police will introduce new measures to reduce traffic accidents and improve traffic safety, especially for the young and the elderly.

Law and Order

In crime prevention, Police will this year complete the Neighbourhood Police Posts construction programme. This will strengthen the Police-community partnership. Police will also install an automated fingerprint identification system by 1991 to speed up the identification of suspects.

New legislation will be introduced to deal with computer crimes. Polygraph analysis will be introduced as an aid to criminal investigation.

In the longer term, Police will: (a) Upgrade its crime detection and investigation through a computerised criminal intelligence system, voice -print analysis and other scientific means; (b) Upgrade the ability of the Marine Police to safeguard the security of our coastal waters; and (c) Build a new Police HQ, Marine Police HQ and Police Academy, and re-develop the Gurkha Contingent complex at Mount Vernon.

Anti-drug Measures

The Central Narcotics Bureau will pursue enforcement measures, and focus its preventive education programme on the more vulnerable youth groups. It will encourage greater community involvement in providing aftercare.

Rehabilitation of Offenders

Prisons Department will build two new maximum security prisons by 1993 and a new drug rehabilitation centre (DRC) by 1996. This will ease the overcrowding in prisons and DRCs. The new purpose-built DRC will free more manpower in the Prisons Department to improve rehabilitation programmes for prisoners and drug abusers.

Immigration Control

The Immigration Department will introduce machine-readable Singapore passports in 1991, to speed up clearance at checkpoints. It will continue to upgrade existing checkpoints to provide better facilities and services to the public. In the longer term it will redevelop the Woodlands Checkpoint, to meet the expected growth in cross-border traffic up to the year 2005. After the first phase of this project is completed, customs and immigration clearance of incoming rail passengers will take place at Woodlands instead of Keppel Station.

Civil Defence Preparedness

The Joint Civil Defence Forces (SJCDF) will install a nationwide public warning system by 1992. It will build a Civil Defence Academy and a new SJCDF HQ by 1995. SJCDF will conduct more emergency exercises with community participation.