Strengthening standard procedures for crowd management

Question

Mr Baey Yam Keng: To ask the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth in light of the crowd control problems at the recent SEA Games Closing Ceremony (a) whether there are standard procedures for crowd management, safety and security measures at the Sports Hub which all organisers have to adhere to and implement; and (b) if so, what measures does the Ministry have in place for checks and enforcement.

Response

1. Minister Lawrence Wong: Sports Hub Pte Ltd (SHPL) has Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) on crowd management, safety and security, which they require all event organisers to comply with. In addition, for every event, SHPL also works with the event organiser to tailor a specific plan that covers details such as the number of ushers and security personnel needed, and where and how to deploy them. For large events, SHPL consults and works jointly with the Singapore Police Force, Traffic Police, Land Transport Authority and Sport Singapore to review and coordinate the event plans as well as the crowd management, safety and security measures. This enables Sport Singapore to maintain oversight of risk mitigation measures.
   

2. As the Sports Hub is a relatively new venue, SHPL continues to refine its SOPs based on lessons learnt with inputs from the authorities after every event. Where relevant, Sport Singapore participates in the after action reviews and discusses operational improvements with SHPL at their regular meetings. We have collectively learnt useful lessons from the crowd control problems encountered during the SEA Games Closing Ceremony, such as the need to better advise guests about arrival timings; to cater extra time to pass through heightened security checks; and to better manage crowd build up and the ushering of people to their seats. Sport Singapore is working closely with SHPL to strengthen its SOPs and share the lessons learned with organisers of future events at the Sports Hub.