Healthcare security group to tackle terror threats

Healthcare workers may also encounter verbal abuse, threats and, at times, physical violence, she added.

“Such conduct is unacceptable. It jeopardises staff well-being, disrupts operations and compromises the safe environment required for the delivery of quality care,” she said.

On Sept 30, the Tripartite Workgroup for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers said that abuse and harassment cases reported in the public healthcare sector have nearly doubled over two years, with 13% of them being serious enough to report to the police.

In her speech, Sim also highlighted the Internal Security Department’s assessment on Sept 10 that Singapore’s terrorism threat remains high, driven by global conflicts and online extremist content that have accelerated youth radicalisation.

Such radicalisation cases have almost quadrupled over the past five years. There were four cases between 2017 and 2021, spiking to 15 since 2022.

Sim also noted that during social experiments conducted by SGSecure in 2025, only about 17% of passers-by noticed a suspicious suitcase or vehicle. Of these, only about 5% intended to alert, or alerted, the authorities.

At the event on Oct 14, she also presented the National Safety and Security Watch Group and Threat-Oriented Person Screening Integrated System awards to 185 members and 24 organisations respectively.

They have adopted good workplace security practices against terrorist threats, engaged in emergency planning, conducted security exercises and adopted technologies such as CCTV and access-control systems.

One of the recipients was UOB. Marcus Lai, managing director for the bank’s group corporate and real estate services, said that a man had allegedly started a fire at the entrance of a mosque in the basement of UOB Plaza on Sept 25.

“With CCTV cameras all around our premises, we notified the police and handed over the footage. The police nabbed the accused within hours,” he said.

Another recipient was the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore, which is rolling out threat screening to 32 churches by Dec 25.

Andre Ahchak, the Archdiocese communications director, said that so far, 4,000 staff and volunteers have been trained in identifying threats, but there is still work to be done.

He shared that during one training exercise, security personnel were so distracted helping churchgoers navigate the building that they overlooked a simulated suspicious bag.

After reviews, they realised the mistake can be avoided in the future if staff and volunteers are more situationally aware.

The push for vigilance follows two security scares at St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah.

During a mass on Nov 9, 2024, a 38-year-old man stabbed a priest in the mouth with a foldable knife. He was later sentenced to four years, three months’ jail and nine strokes of the cane.

On Dec 21, 2025, a 26-year-old man was arrested after he claimed to have discovered a suspicious item at the church. Police officers evacuated the premises, and the Singapore Armed Forces’ Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive Defence Group was activated.

The item was assessed to be three cardboard rolls and wires stuck together with black tape, with no explosive elements present, police said. The man was arrested under anti-terrorism laws for his suspected involvement.