Members of the public should also be vigilant, said MHA. - ST
SINGAPORE: Police patrols have been stepped up in some areas in Singapore following the deadly Bondi Beach shooting in Sydney, Australia, that left 16 dead, including one of the attackers, and dozens of others injured.
“Police have enhanced patrols at certain areas and will continue to calibrate their security measures accordingly,” said the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Dec 16, adding that its security agencies are “monitoring the threat environment closely”.
Members of the public should also be vigilant, said MHA, urging those who know or suspect anyone to be radicalised or engaging in extremist activities to contact the Internal Security Department (ISD) on 1800-2626-473.
“ISD takes a serious view of any form of support for terrorism. Any person – foreigner or otherwise – who engages in any activity that threatens to harm Singapore’s national security will be firmly dealt with under the law,” said the ministry.
Those who see any suspicious person or item should report them to the police immediately, added MHA.
In the event of a terror attack, the police advise members of the public to Run, Hide and Tell:
Run
>Move quickly and quietly away from danger using the safest route.
>Do not surrender or attempt to negotiate with the attackers.
>Leave your belongings behind.
Hide
>If you cannot escape, hide. Stay out of sight of the attackers, be quiet and switch your phone to silent mode.
>Lock yourself in and stay away from the doors. (If possible, place heavy objects such as tables behind the doors to prevent access by the attackers.)
Tell
>When it is safe to do so, provide information to the police by calling 999, SMSing 70999 or using the SGSecure app.
>Provide details about the attackers and their location.
Victims of the Dec 14 shooting – Australia’s worst gun attack in about 30 years – include a 10-year-old girl, a rabbi and a Holocaust survivor.
A day before the Bondi Beach incident, another shooting took place at Brown University in the United States, an Ivy League school in College Hill in Providence, Rhode Island’s state capital. Two people were killed, and nine others were injured in the attack. The shooter is still at large.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong, in a letter to his Australian counterpart, Anthony Albanese, on Dec 14, said Singapore strongly condemns the terror attack. He wrote: “Such acts have no place in our societies and undermine the peace and security we all cherish.”
Muslim leaders in Singapore called the Bondi Beach attack in Australia a senseless act that divides communities, and said such violence has no place in society. - The Straits Times/ANN
