Parliament
Sun Xueling: MHA boosts collaboration with community partners to enhance security preparedness against threats
During the 26 Feb Parliament sitting, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said MHA is working with religious organisations, schools, and hospitals to enhance security preparedness amid rising extremist threats. Measures include self-assessments, emergency drills, and closer cooperation with security agencies to prevent and respond to attacks.
SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) is working closely with religious organisations, schools, and hospitals to enhance security preparedness in response to recent incidents and rising extremist threats.
Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling outlined these efforts in Parliament on 26 February following questions from Members of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC Christopher de Souza and West Coast GRC MP Rachel Ong.
De Souza asked how MHA plans to strengthen collaboration with religious institutions and security agencies to improve early detection and prevention of threats, following a second assault at a place of worship within six months.
Ong inquired about the preparedness of schools, places of worship, hospitals, and public institutions against potential terrorist attacks.
The first incident occurred on 9 November 2024, when a 37-year-old man allegedly lunged at a priest with a knife during evening mass at St Joseph’s Church in Upper Bukit Timah.
The priest, Reverend Christopher Lee, 57, sustained lacerations and cuts around his mouth. His attacker was charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt with a knife.
The second incident took place on 9 February 2025 at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Upper Thomson, where a 22-year-old man allegedly assaulted a priest. The priest did not suffer visible injuries, and the man was arrested for public nuisance.
MHA reinforces collaboration with community partners to counter terror threats
In response, Sun stated that MHA has been actively collaborating with community partners, including religious organisations, to prevent, detect, and respond to terror threats.
She referred to an earlier response in Parliament on 7 January 2025, which detailed measures taken to enhance safety at places of worship and engage the public.
Under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth’s (MCCY) crisis preparedness for religious organisations programme, religious institutions conduct security self-assessments, develop contingency plans, and attend counter-terrorism seminars.
These initiatives aim to improve understanding of security threats and readiness to respond effectively.
Beyond religious institutions, MHA also works with the Ministry of Education (MOE) on crisis preparedness in schools.
Enhancing emergency preparedness in schools through structured protocols and drills
Schools operate under a School Emergency Structure, led by the principal, with Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) in place for various emergency scenarios, including terrorist attacks.
These procedures are regularly reviewed, and schools conduct annual lockdown drills and joint exercises with the Police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to improve response coordination.
In the healthcare sector, the Ministry of Health (MOH) continues to strengthen security resilience by aligning security standards across healthcare institutions and conducting regular emergency readiness exercises.
These exercises, conducted with the Police and SCDF, assess hospitals’ ability to secure their facilities and respond to mass casualty incidents.
MOH also works closely with healthcare institutions to maintain security postures and implement enhancement programmes in collaboration with law enforcement agencies.
In times of heightened security concerns, Sun assured that the Police will step up security measures, including increased patrols and closer engagement with relevant stakeholders to enhance security efforts.
Building community resilience in the face of potential threats
Sun further emphasised the importance of community resilience, noting that despite preventive efforts, the possibility of a successful attack cannot be ruled out.
“At some point, I hope never, but we have to be prepared that an attack will succeed. When it does, it is important that as a community, we remain resilient and united,” she said.
Through the SGSecure movement, MHA will continue working with religious organisations, public institutions, and the wider community to strengthen preparedness and collective response to security threats, Sun added.
