Developing a crisis-preparedness plan for Singapore

Members of the National Steering Committee and Working Committee on Racial and Religious Harmony 

Chairpersons and members of the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles (IRCCs) 

Distinguished Guests 

Ladies and Gentlemen 

1. Thank you for joining us today at the second Counter-Terrorism Seminar for religious and community organisations. The encouraging response to this series of seminar is a strong indicator that we recognise the threat facing us, and the need to raise our preparedness together as a nation. Together with our Home Team colleagues, we will be conducting more sessions to engage all religious organisations on this important issue.
   

2. There were three issues that we set out to address in the seminar today. Firstly, when a terrorist attack occurs, how will our religious organisations respond? What will happen at a place of worship if it is attacked? Secondly, what role will other religious organisations play –how can they step forward to show leadership, to help, and to demonstrate resolve and unity in a time of crisis? Thirdly, before a terrorist attack can occurs, what do religious organisations need to do, both as individual organisations, and more importantly as part of a larger community, to prepare themselves to deter and safeguard against terrorism; to say unambiguously that we reject terrorism and we stand united with fellow Singaporeans to guard against it?
   

3. The presentations by our agencies, as well as the sharing by the Catholic Archdiocese earlier, provide you some practical frameworks and approaches on how religious organisations can respond to the challenges of terrorism. I hope the pointers shared are useful for you to develop your own crisis response plan.
   

4. The impact on our and our society will be grave, but the real goal of the terrorist organisation or individuals is to create panic, to create disharmony and discord, and to weakened our society by distrust. Singapore, with no natural resources except our people, will be weakened and in danger if we cannot rise to the challenge of being able to united and to stand strong in the aftermath of a terrorist attack. Therefore, to prepare for an effective response in the immediate moments and hours after a terrorist attack is critical. An equally critical part of the community response to terrorism is how our communities come together, heal, and bounce back stronger in the days and weeks after an attack.
   

5. Preparing our crisis response must go hand in hand with being an active member of the community in peacetime – recognising that we are all in this together. This means that we understand one another better, we build friendship and trust across races and religions through cooperation and mutual support on everyday issues. I am happy to see that in our Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles network, much of it is happening today. Through this, the foundation of social cohesion in multi-religious, multi-racial Singapore is strengthened, and Singapore becomes a more resilient nation. Let me reiterate how religious organisations need to be part of this larger effort to prepare our community to deal with terrorism.

IRCCs

• IRCCs to respond quickly to defuse crisis

• Crisis exercises to prepare communal response

• Urge all ROs to be actively participate in the SGSecure community and crisis-preparedness activities.

6. At the local level, the Inter-Racial and Religious Confidence Circles, or IRCCs – which many of you are directly involved in, but many more have yet to become active in these circles – we organised them to defuse incidents with racial and religious tensions. Crisis preparedness activities are conducted regularly to hone the IRCCs in their crisis communications roles.
   

7. To make these exercises more realistic, Scenario-Based Exercises or SBXes are being rolled out for IRCCs. Participants are mobilised to a simulated operations centre and tasked to manage incidents with communal or religious tensions in a time-compressed setting. Such exercises reinforce each IRCC’s capability, they practice the IRCC on how to work together during a crisis. A total of 29 IRCCs have been exercised in 2016 and we will progressively exercise all IRCCs in the months and the years going forward.
   

8. Many of you are members of IRCCs, but some of you are not. I would like to urge all our religious organisations to be part of this network, as well as to be part of the larger SGSecure community. Take part in these exercises, so that you are better plugged into the community network. In this way, you will be better informed and can count on the wider community’s support should you need it.

Moving forward

• Security survey from Safety and Security Watch Group (SSWG)

• Develop security plan with building owners or local NPCs

• Refer to SGSecure app

9. Today’s seminar is not the last word on the religious sector’s response to terrorism. Indeed, it is only the beginning. Our religious organisations are all at different points on the spectrum of crisis-preparedness. Some of you already have robust systems and processes in place to guard against terrorism, and at the same time some of you already are well plugged into the community network. I think all of you can look forward to continued participation in our networking sessions, crisis-preparedness activities and inter-faith dialogues and workshops, so as to strengthen the bonds of friendship and ties as well as to raise your capabilities and resilience in a crisis situation.
   

10. As leaders of your respective organisations, you hold a very important position of influence among your members, among your worshippers, in your organisations. Your response in a crisis matters very a lot. It sets the tone for how other members, other worshippers, ought to react to the incident, and it provides them with a sense of assurance during that moment. After a terror attack, you have a critical role to play in stating that we have to stand united as one nation whilst addressing the concerns, and bringing calm to the ground.
    

11. We hope today’s seminar provides you with useful pointers to develop your own crisis plan. You have to adapt the security surveys that are found in your seminar pack and the framework that are presented to your organisation’s needs. We encourage you to work together with your building owners or local Neighbourhood Police Centres to develop the crisis response plan for your organisations. Also, do involve your congregation to be part of this crisis plan.
    

12. Most Singaporeans today have a smart phone. In this regard, I would encourage you to download the SGSecure app where you can learn more about the "Run, Hide, Tell" and "Press, Tie, Tell" advisories, as well as other e-learning programmes. If we all do our part, we can be confident that we can react quickly and decisively in a crisis.

In conclusion

13. In closing the seminar today, let me highlight once more that it is not a matter of if, but a matter of when, a terrorist attack comes upon us. It has not happened here for a while, but it has happened to us in Singapore, we should be prepared for it. It may happen anywhere, but we know that places of worship in other parts of the world have become a favoured terrorist target. We seek to ensure that you are prepared and able to help yourself, your members, and indeed others in the larger community. When all in the community look after each other, we can have every confidence that terrorists will fail in their mission to spread terror and undermine Singapore.

14. We seek to partner with you so that as a whole, our religious community stays alert to security threats, stays united when terror strikes, and stays strong to bounce back quickly, and the stronger, in a crisis.

15. I would like to thank our presenters and the Catholic Archdiocese for an insightful seminar and all of you for your invaluable time and support by being here today.

16. Thank you and have a good weekend.