Hoe Yeen Nie Channel NewsAsia 29 Apr 10;
SINGAPORE: Singapore police are strengthening their coastal defence system to deter sea-borne threats such as smugglers and illegal immigrants.
They are also looking at further ways to make better use of resources on the ground.
The waters off Lim Chu Kang, in the north of Singapore, are a hotspot for smugglers. Currently, water barriers and fences help to keep them out.
And over the next three years, better fences will be mounted, including one that prevents intruders from getting a grip.
Another method employs high-tech wizardry to do the job.
The fibre optic wire mesh may look flimsy, but it's precisely designed to prevent people from climbing or cutting through the wire. Once the wire is snapped, sensors will trigger an alarm back at command centre, and security cameras will immediately pinpoint the exact location of the intruder.
Down south, where sea traffic is high, special barges will be deployed to serve as command and surveillance posts.
These will be supported by faster and more agile patrol boats as well more fences along the coastline.
DSP Patricia Lui, head of ops and security, Police Coast Guard, says: "In the southern waters, we have large and small boats, and it's very easy for the small boats to hide in between some of these larger vessels. Therefore we must improve our surveillance capabilities and our detection capabilities in that environment."
Police are also testing new fingerprinting technology that could help them determine, for the first time, the gender and race of a suspect.
They will also be able to find out if the suspect had handled substances like explosives or drugs.
This is all done through biochemical analysis, which costs about S$1 million.
The special nano powder used will also capture prints with about 30 per cent more detail than the type currently used. Police say this reduces the likelihood that fingerprints will be smudged. Even if they are, the chemical composition of the prints can be analysed for bio-markers that could narrow down the range of possible suspects.
At the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng also spoke of the need to review police deployment on the ground.
Mr Wong said: "I've also directed the police to undertake a detailed study of the neighbourhood police centre and the neighbourhood police post system to take into account changes in population demographics and the operational needs of the specific communities.
"We must be prepared to re-configure the NPC and the NPP systems so as to better meet the growing and changing demand for police services."
He also spoke of the need to continue with community engagement to keep crime down, and cited as an example recent efforts against loanshark harassment in housing estates.
- CNA/jy
Better fences to be built to deter smugglers
Hoe Yeen Nie, Today Online 30 Apr 10;
SINGAPORE - Singapore police are strengthening their coastal defence system to deter sea-borne threats such as smugglers and illegal immigrants. They are also looking at how to make better use of resources on the ground, with a review of the neighbourhood police centre (NPC) and the neighbourhood police post (NPP) system.
The waters off Lim Chu Kang are a hotspot for smugglers and currently, water barriers and fences help keep them out.
Over the next three years, better fences will be mounted. One method involves a fibre optic wire mesh designed to prevent people from climbing or cutting through the wire.
Once the wire is snapped, sensors will trigger an alarm back at command centre, and security cameras will pinpoint the intruder's location.
In the south of the island, where sea traffic is high, special barges will be deployed to serve as command and surveillance posts, supported by faster and more agile patrol boats.
Police are also testing new fingerprinting technology that could help them determine -for the first time - the gender and race of a suspect. They will also be able to find out if the suspect had handled substances like explosives or drugs.
Speaking at the police workplan seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng spoke of the need to review and reconfigure, if necessary, police deployment on the ground.
The police will undertake a detailed study of the NPP and NPC system "to take into account changes in population demographics and the operational needs of the specific communities", said Mr Wong.
Coastal security to be tightened
Multilayered defence in southern waters to be fully operational by 2013
Mavis Toh Straits Times 30 Apr 10;
BEEFING up coastal security will be a priority for the Police Coast Guard (PCG) over the next three years under its masterplan to deter threats at Singapore's maritime borders and anchorages.
For a start, the PCG will implement two new command and control centres, both out at sea on barges, to allow for closer surveillance of passing vessels.
Its current fleet of patrol boats will also be fitted with more powerful engines.
More officers will be added to PCG's elite force, and they will be given better boats to deal with smugglers and illegal immigrants.
This multilayered defence system will be put in place in Singapore's southern waters and be fully operational by 2013.
The PCG Developmental Masterplan was unveiled at the annual Police Workplan Seminar yesterday.
'To effectively deal with Singapore's increasingly complex maritime operational environment, PCG is constantly reviewing and enhancing its operational capabilities to deal with seaborne threats,' said a police spokesman.
Besides measures to enhance the coastline, a nano fingerprint powder technology system, which has been on trial since last October, was also showcased at the seminar. The new technology is able to detect residues such as explosives and drugs, and even tell a person's age, gender and ethnicity from his fingerprints.
In his keynote address at the seminar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said Singapore needs to remain alert to terrorism threats and even peaceful protesters, to avoid getting into situations like in Russia and Bangkok.
He noted that Singapore's crime rate last year fell to its second lowest in the last 20 years and that Singapore was ranked third out of 133 economies for reliability of police services in a global competitiveness report for 2009-2010.
In the coming year, the police will need to play a key role in managing security at mega international events such as the Youth Olympic Games and the Formula One Grand Prix, he said.
The opening of the integrated resorts will bring potential criminal activities. Said Mr Wong: 'There were some concerns that the casinos could be natural targets and places of opportunity for criminal activity. These are valid and real concerns.'
To better meet the growing and changing demands for police services, Mr Wong has directed the force to do a detailed study of the current Neighbourhood Police Centre and Neighbourhood Police Post systems.
But he also urged the public to play their part in keeping Singapore safe.
'Four million vigilant Singapore residents will be a priceless and strong deterrent force against criminals and terrorists on the ground,' he said.
