SINGAPORE \u2013 Inside a room at the National Stadium, dozens of eyes are fixed on a wall of glowing screens.<\/p>\n
About 60 personnel work side by side in what serves as the nerve centre for safety and security operations at the National Day Parade<\/span><\/a>.<\/p>\n They are from organisations including the Singapore Armed Forces, Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force and Land Transport Authority.<\/p>\n From as early as 5am, the Command and Control Group 2 begins its watch, scrutinising the various CCTV camera feeds of the roads leading to the venue of Singapore\u2019s 61st birthday bash, as well as those covering the interior and the paths that lead to it.<\/p>\n Leading the team is Senior Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard Lim, 41, who is an armour officer by vocation.<\/p>\n He is no stranger to the NDP, having first been involved in the 2010 parade supporting the mobile column.<\/p>\n However, this is his first time overseeing security, as the parade returns to the National Stadium for the first time after a decade.<\/p>\n One challenge is ensuring clear communication, as different agencies may use different terminology for the same thing.<\/p>\n Lim said: \u201cA lot of the work has to do with communication. My job is to make sure we all understand one another.\u201d<\/p>\n Another challenge lies in the venue: Compared with the Padang and the Marina Bay Floating Platform, the National Stadium has more entry points and can accommodate more spectators.<\/p>\n This requires the team to manage the flow of people across multiple entry points while ensuring that security checks are done thoroughly yet quickly.<\/p>\n From as early as 5am, the Command and Control Group 2 begins its watch, scrutinising the various CCTV camera feeds of the roads leading to the National Stadium.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n To that end, his team is drawing on the expertise of The Kallang Group \u2013 which manages The Kallang entertainment and sports precinct \u2013 to ensure a smooth experience for everyone who attends on Aug 9.<\/p>\n \u201cFirstly, we\u2019re looking at opening more lanes. We have more than 100 lanes to accommodate people,\u201d said Lim.<\/p>\n The team will also pay greater attention to directing crowds based on ground conditions in certain areas, such as MRT exits.<\/p>\n Stationed close to one of these exits is Second Sergeant Shekar Ritvik, who is in charge of an entry point for those requiring mobility assistance.<\/p>\n The full-time national serviceman from the 1st Battalion Singapore Guards leads a team of six. Their role is to identify those with mobility issues as early as possible and guide them to the special access lift, allowing them to avoid long queues and stairs.<\/p>\n Second Sergeant\u00a0Shekar Ritvik and his team look out for spectators who may need mobility assistance, ushering them to the special access lift.<\/p>\n ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Wheelchairs are also available for spectators who may need them, Shekar said, adding that everyone involved is trying to ensure that attendees have a good experience.<\/p>\n However, this cannot come at the cost of security, said the 19-year-old, noting that every National Education show and NDP preview has been a chance to learn and improve.<\/p>\n \u201c(Before) the NDP, we had only been talking about it. Actually walking the ground and experiencing the crowd for the first time definitely made it a steep learning curve, because you have to learn on the spot.\u201d<\/p>\n Recounting his favourite experience so far, Shekar recalled helping an elderly woman get a wheelchair and accompanying her and her daughter to their seats, chatting with them along the way.<\/p>\n \u201cEven if it\u2019s just one person, it brings you closer to the people you are doing it for,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Shekar also finds it particularly touching whenever members of the public approach the guardsmen to convey their appreciation as they leave the stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cSeeing that for my men, seeing that they\u2019re being recognised, even by just a smile or a wave, it means a lot to me,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n SINGAPORE \u2013 Inside a room at the National Stadium, dozens of eyes are fixed on a wall of glowing screens. About 60 personnel work side…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":75134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2611],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75133","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buzz-headlines","wpcat-2611-id"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75133","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=75133"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/75133\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/75134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=75133"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=75133"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sgbuzz.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=75133"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/picture><\/div>
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