SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be conducting a series of “controlled social experiments” in the heartlands from early to mid-June to understand the public’s level of vigilance and response to terror threats.
These experiments, which fall under the SGSecure movement, will involve planned scenarios with actors and realistic props, and will be executed with “careful oversight” to ensure that they are carried out safely, MHA said in a press release on Thursday (May 29).
It added that there will be “minimal inconvenience” caused, and authorities will also be on standby to safeguard the public during the experiments.
Footage of public reactions to the social experiments will be used to create an educational web series to raise awareness on key SGSecure advisories such as “run, hide and tell” and “press, tie and tell”.
The first advises the public on the immediate response in the event of an attack, while the second is a first aid skills advisory that educates the public on commonly available items that can be used to help those injured during an attack.
Consent from members of the public will be sought or appropriate measures will be taken, such as masking of identity, before footage of public reactions is used, MHA said.
The first episode of the web series will be released on Jul 30, along with more information on the results of the social experiments.
Members of the public are encouraged to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activities to the authorities promptly.
The SGSecure movement was introduced in 2016 to sensitise, train, and mobilise Singaporeans to play a part in preventing and dealing with a terrorist attack.
Since its launch, “significant progress” has been made in raising public awareness of terror threats, as well as institutional and individual preparedness against such attacks, the Home Affairs ministry said.
The current phase of the SGSecure movement and its tagline “What’s Your Role?” were launched in July 2023. This phase focuses on the importance of social cohesion in the fight against terrorism and radicalisation.
