SECURITY AT MRT STATIONS (Cost)

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SECURITY AT MRT STATIONS:

(Cost): 3.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen asked the Minister for Transport if he will state who will bear the cost of the increased security now that security guards are deployed at MRT stations.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen (Bukit Timah): Question No. 3, Sir. In asking the Question, may I declare my interest as an independent director of ComfortDelgro, a listed company operating the North-East line.

The Minister of State for Transport (Dr Balaji Sadasivan) (for the Minister for Transport): Sir, given the severe consequences should a terrorist attack on our public transport system take place, Members would agree that it is important to enhance the level of security of the system. For this reason, the operators have deployed uniformed security personnel at the MRT stations and bus interchanges.

Dr Wang asked who will bear the cost of the increased security. Let me first assure the House that there will not be any fare increases this year following the deployment of the uniformed security personnel.

Nonetheless, security is a shared responsibility. The operators recognise that it is in their commercial interest to

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enhance the security of their systems and will absorb some of the costs where possible. Similarly, the Government has played its part by deploying police patrols in MRT stations and bus interchanges. Our security experts have also provided the operators and its uniformed guards with the necessary security advice and training. Given that the security measures are implemented for the safety of commuters, it is not unreasonable for commuters to also share the cost should that become necessary.

For now though, the cost of the uniformed guards is expected to form a very small element of the operators' entire operating cost. And so fare hikes are not necessary. We will ensure that any added security measures are commensurate with the threat level so that the cost of public transport operations will not be raised unnecessarily. Any fare increase application will be carefully scrutinised by the Public Transport Council before it is approved.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: I would like to ask the Minister of State, conceptually, what is the difference between providing security in the airport versus providing security in the train stations. From time to time, police officers and even SAF officers are deployed and we have not heard that there was a request for the commuters or the users of the airport to bear this security cost.

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Conceptually, the security cost borne by airports and MRT stations and other transport systems should be the same. I would like to explain how the security costs are borne in the airports. It is borne partly by the State. On security patrols at the airports, for example, we see the policemen and the soldiers walking around, that is borne by the State. The guarding of critical installations like the VIP Complex, etc, is

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all borne by the State. Then, there is a terminal operator who pays for part of the security, for example, the security at the access control and pre-board screening. That is borne by the terminal operator.

But users do pay for security at the airport. Passengers pay a fee of $21 for using the airport, of which $6 is a Passenger Security Service Charge. If we apply the principle of shared costs, and using the principle from the airport, we can see that for rail and road transport, both the operators, the Government and the commuter may have to pay for it.

At this time, since the cost of providing the uniformed guards is a very small amount - it is less than 1% of the operating cost and less than one cent per journey - there is no need for any fare increase.

Dr Wang Kai Yuen: Sir, would the Minister of State agree that at the airport, the security charge paid by the passengers for checks and security scanning is not for the security of the facilities? Whereas in this case, it is the security of the facilities that we are talking about, and the security guards are not scanning or checking the baggage of persons and so on. Would the Minister of State not consider expanding the definition of the term "installations" in the train stations so that police officers could be deployed without the employment of security guards?

Dr Balaji Sadasivan: Sir, first of all, I would like to state that the principle of shared responsibility must be accepted, because security is everyone's responsibility. When you go to a hotel, the security guard in the hotel is paid for by the hotel. However, that does not mean that the police has no responsibility for looking after the security of the hotel district. For example, there are policemen walking round Orchard Road, and plainclothes policemen entering hotels. This cost is borne by the State. The security guards of the hotel are paid for by the

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hotel operator. The principle is shared responsibility.