MHA to conduct social experiments in June to gauge public vigilance, response to terror threats, Singapore News
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be conducting a series of social experiments to understand the level of public vigilance and response to terror threats.
In a press statement on Thursday (May 29), MHA said that the experiments are part of the SGSecure movement and will be conducted between early to mid-June in the heartlands.
The experiments are controlled, and will involve planned scenarios with actors and realistic props.
MHA said that the experiments will be "executed with careful oversight to ensure that they are carried out safely, with minimal inconvenience to members of the public".
Authorities will also be on standby to safeguard the public during the exercise.
The social experiments will also be recorded, and footage will subsequently be used to create an educational web series to raise awareness on key SGSecure advisories on how to respond to terror attacks — like "Run, Hide, Tell" and "Press, Tie, Tell".
The first episode of the web series is slated for release on July 30, along with more details on the results of the experiments.
MHA also reminded members of the public to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities promptly. SGSecure movement
The SGSecure movement was officially launched in September 2016 by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, with the goal of training and mobilising Singaporeans to handle crises like terrorist attacks.
The SGSecure mobile application launched at that time allows users to make mobile reports on emergencies and has various features like maps for locating emergency facilities, and social media sharing options for SGSecure alerts.
It also allows the police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force to send emergency alerts to the public, and enables the public to report suspicious activities.
SGSecure entered its current phase with the tagline 'What's Your Role?' in July 2023 to inspire Singaporeans and leverage their individual strengths to help counter terrorism.
In April, the SGSecure Programme Office launched a SGSecure-themed storybook for young children, in an effort to educate the new generation of youths on the importance of safety and security.
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dana.leong@asiaone.com
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