External and Homeland Security

Keeping Singapore safe and secure

Singapore remains one of the safest countries in the world. We ranked first in the region for the ‘Order and Security’ category of the World Justice Project Rule of Law Index 2023, the seventh time in a row that we were among the top three.

• Crime rates in Singapore remained low, with the number of reported physical crimes [PDF, 206 KB] decreasing by 1.1% from 20,193 in 2022 to 19,966 in 2023.

• Our recidivism rate, at 22% for the 2021 release cohort, was among the lowest in the world. In 2023, 95% of offenders referred to Yellow Ribbon Singapore for employment assistance were able to secure a job.

• We continued to have one of the lowest fire fatality rates globally.

Scams remained a key concern. We saw a 1.3% decline in losses suffered by scam victims, from $660.7 million in 2022 to $651.8 million in 2023. As scammers evolved their tactics, losses increased by 24.6% in the first half of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. 86% of the reported scams in the first half of 2024 involved self-effected transfers, where scammers manipulated the victims into performing the monetary transactions themselves.

The public should remain vigilant and adopt anti-scam measures to safeguard themselves. The Government continued to work closely with the private sector such as banks and our community to fight against scams based on four pillars – Prevent, Detect, Enforce and Educate.

Feature Story: Over $370,000 recovered in scam foiled by Singapore Police Force (SPF), banks, and Hong Kong Police Force

On 18 April 2024, DBS Bank Ltd (DBS) detected suspicious transactions from the bank account of a 70-year-old victim to a bank account in Hong Kong. The DBS Anti-Scam Team immediately blocked further transactions from the victim’s bank account to prevent more losses and notified SPF’s Anti-Scam Centre (ASC).

Upon discovering the fraudulent transactions, the ASC immediately worked with the bank and the Hong Kong Police Force’s Anti-Deception Coordination Centre to foil the scam attempt, recovering more than $370,000 for the victim.

While Singapore’s drug situation remained under control, there were worrying trends. The number of drug abusers arrested rose by 10% from 2022 to 2023, and over half of new abusers were below 30 years old.

To deter drug abuse, we continued to adopt an integrated strategy, encompassing preventive education, strict laws, rigorous enforcement, and rehabilitation. In 2023, an Inter-Ministry Committee was established to focus on drug prevention among youths. For example, preventive drug education materials were included in the Ministry of Social and Family Development’s Families for Life parenting programmes since February 2024. These resources help parents start conversations at home about the harms of drugs, and teach their children to be discerning when presented with misinformation on drugs. In May 2024, the inaugural Drug Victims Remembrance Day was held to raise awareness of the impact of drug abuse on families and society.

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Keeping Singapore safe requires a high level of operational readiness to respond to both internal and external security challenges. In 2023, around nine in 10 Singaporeans said they were highly confident of the Home Team's and the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)’s ability to keep Singapore safe and secure.

• In September 2023, the SAF’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal team worked with SPF to safely dispose of a 100kg World War II aerial bomb relic at a construction site along Bukit Timah Road.

• In October 2023, in response to an alleged bomb threat on Scoot flight TR16, the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) activated its fighter jets to escort the Perth-bound plane back to Singapore. Upon the plane’s arrival in Singapore, the SPF arrested the person who made the false bomb threat.

• To enhance our crisis response, multi-agency exercises such as Exercise NORTHSTAR XI and other counter-terrorism exercises were conducted in March 2023 and April 2024.

Beyond our shores, Singapore contributed to international security and humanitarian efforts, demonstrating swift and effective responses to contingencies.

• Following the Türkiye-Syria earthquake in February 2023, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) deployed a contingent to Türkiye under Operation Lionheart, to support search and rescue operations.

• From November 2023 to April 2024, the SAF supported the delivery of humanitarian aid. Of note, the RSAF’s C-130 aircraft, together with the Army’s aerial cargo riggers, conducted airdrop operations of food supplies into Gaza via Jordan in March 2024. A medical team was also deployed aboard the French hospital ship FS Dixmude to provide care for casualties from Gaza.

• Between January and June 2024, the SAF deployed a team of servicemen to support Operation Prosperity Guardian, a multi-national effort to safeguard maritime traffic from militants targeting ships in the Red Sea, keeping it open and safe.

Read more: Legal and Diplomacy

Maintaining our operational edge

Homeland security capabilities

The Home Team continued to tap on smart and autonomous solutions to maintain cutting-edge capabilities for homeland security. These solutions allowed us to optimise manpower while enhancing public safety and security.

• The New Clearance Concept (NCC) was introduced at Changi Airport in April 2024. The NCC uses biometric technology and data analytics to enhance the speed and robustness of immigration clearance at checkpoints. Singapore is among the first countries in the world to allow all foreign visitors to use automated lanes even on their first visit. With the implementation of token-less clearance from August 2024, Singapore residents and departing foreign travellers can clear immigration without presenting their passports. This has reduced clearance time for travellers by about 40%.

• Since 2023, autonomous patrol robots have been deployed at Changi Airport Terminal Four to patrol the arrival and departure halls. The robots provide additional eyes on the ground alongside Airport Police’s patrols.

• The SCDF further developed cutting-edge firefighting machinery and rescue equipment. Between June 2022 and May 2023, the Pumper Firefighting Machine and the 6th Generation Light Fire Attack Vehicle (LF6G) were launched with designs leveraging robotics and sensors, to support SCDF’s move towards leaner manpower deployment while enhancing operational efficiency. In April 2024, the SCDF and Home Team Science and Technology Agency introduced the cyborg cockroach, which improved search and rescue operations by detecting life in small and tight spaces that may be inaccessible to rescuers, or dangerous for them to access.

Defence capabilities

The SAF made long-term investments in high-end capabilities to address a spectrum of evolving external threats.

• Between November 2023 and April 2024, the SAF inducted new capabilities, such as the H225M Medium Lift helicopter, ASTER-30 air defence missile system, and Type-218SG Invincible-class submarine, for greater effectiveness in a broader spectrum of operations.

• The SAF invested in unmanned capabilities, such as the Maritime Security Unmanned Surface Vessel and our locally-developed Veloce 15 and Veloce 60 (V60) Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). This enhanced the Republic of Singapore Navy’s ability to conduct round-the-clock patrols, investigate, and interdict suspicious vessels at sea.

• To ensure the SAF maintains its warfighting edge, more high-end capabilities have been acquired to replace ageing ones. These included the next-generation Howitzers, the next-generation Armoured Track Carriers, and the F-35 fighter jets.

Keeping Singapore secure: A whole-of-nation effort

National Service (NS) is the cornerstone of Singapore’s safety and security. An Institute of Policy Studies survey in 2022 found that support for NS remained high at 93%. The NS system has been constantly reviewed to ensure its continued relevance and effectiveness.

• To maximise the contributions of our servicemen, two additional Work-Learn Schemes were introduced for our full-time national servicemen (NSFs) to undergo professional upgrading during their NS. More than 520 NSFs have enrolled since the scheme was introduced in 2018. In 2023, about 260 operationally ready national servicemen were actively redeployed to units where they could contribute their civilian expertise in greater capacity. These areas included cyber, data analytics, medicine, law, engineering, and psychology.

• To improve the NS experience, digital transformation efforts were introduced to provide a seamless, one-stop service platform throughout NS. These included MINDEF’s OneNS platform that would be rolled out to all NS units in 2024, and the new Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) NS Portal launched on 1 July 2024.

• To enhance support and recognition of servicemen, we partnered with NTUC LearningHub and NTUC’s Employment and Employability Institute in 2022 to facilitate NSFs’ transition to employment or further studies through SkillsFuture@NS. As at February 2024, more than 21,000 NSFs have signed up to gain access to 75,000 online courses on SkillsFuture@NS Learning Xperience.

Beyond NS, we continued to empower the community to play their part in Singapore’s safety and security.

• In today’s increasingly complex and volatile environment, the concept of Total Defence – that every Singaporean has a role in keeping Singapore safe – becomes ever more important. In February 2024, we commemorated 40 years of Total Defence with the inaugural Total Defence Exercise, Exercise SG Ready. Over 800 education, community, commercial, and government organisations participated and simulated power, water, food, and cyber disruptions. Over 160 businesses validated their business continuity plans.

• The SGSecure movement launched its campaign,“What’s Your Role?” in July 2023 to encourage Singaporeans to deepen social cohesion and play an active role in countering terrorism and extremism. As part of the movement, we have enhanced emergency preparedness and response at the community level via the Community Response Roundtable (CRRT) since 2019. As at June 2024, 32 CRRTs have been conducted islandwide.

• Through the SGSecure Responders’ Network, community responders were mobilised to help the Government deal with emergencies. As at June 2024, over 176,000 members have signed up to join the SGSecure Responders’ Network and the Community First Responders. With more individuals committing to be active responders, we observed an encouraging increase in response rates to minor fire and cardiac arrest cases from about 34% in Financial Year (FY) 2019 to about 45% in FY2023.

Contributing to Singapore’s safety and security

Singapore’s peace and stability cannot be taken for granted. As a small state, we are especially vulnerable to our external environment. While the Home Team and the SAF remain steadfast in our mission and will continue to upgrade our capabilities, we still need every Singaporean to play their part to help keep our country safe and secure.

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