Authorities step up measures at checkpoints during Christmas season

SINGAPORE — Longer work shifts and lane diversions for buses are some of the measures that the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) will employ for the festive season, as it gears up to deal with heavier traffic flowing in and out of Johor in the last two weekends of the year.

Heavy traffic flow is expected during the Christmas and New Year holidays from Dec 22 to 26, and Dec 29 to New Year’s Day, said the ICA in a media briefing at the Tuas Checkpoint on Wednesday (Dec 13).

As with usual practice, foot travellers at the Woodlands checkpoint might be diverted to a flexi-bus hall located between the stipulated arrival and departure halls. The hall has gantries with bi-directional capabilities to help ease foot traffic during peak periods.

Over at Tuas checkpoint, buses might be diverted to lanes meant for cargo vehicles in the event of heavy traffic.

Officers at both checkpoints will be putting in longer shifts – up to 14 hours per shift – to manage some 430,000 travellers expected daily over the festive period, resting during the quieter hours, and deployed during ”targeted hours” when crowds are expected.

Drivers can play their part to help traffic flow by not cutting queues, said senior assistant commander of Tuas Command, Supt Muhammad Nagib. Such “ill-disciplined” motorists often led to a “ballooning” of vehicles at spots along the Causeway, and “our officers need to come in and manage the traffic caused by inconsiderate drivers”, he added.

Assistant Commissioner Colin Tan, commander of the Tuas Command, added that this can worsen the traffic congestion, or the “bunching effect” that often characterises festive seasons when a high volume of travellers move in and out of the land checkpoints “at the same time”.

Travellers, on the other hand, can prevent delays by ensuring they are using the right passports, or a passport with a remaining validity of six months or more before setting off on their journey.

Sharing updated statistics, the ICA said about 600 Singaporeans were detected for using the wrong passports between January and October this year, and more than 3,000 foreigners arriving from Johor were detected with expired, invalid or no travel documents.

Supt Nagib said: “We have to turn them back, and this involves resources. It is a restricted area, so we will need to deploy people to escort them out.”

Despite their increased workload during the busier festive season, the ICA stressed that security remains its top priority “in view of the current security climate in the region”, adding that smuggling attempts continue despite stringent checks.

From January to October, ICA officers busted about 36,000 contraband cases, which worked out to an average of 118 cases per day, at land checkpoints.

This was a decrease from last year, when there was an average of 126 cases a day.

At Tuas Checkpoint on Wednesday, TODAY witnessed up to three levels of checks being conducted on arriving cars. Drivers were first told to step out of the car as their car boot was being checked. Then, a swab test might be conducted at random to test for traces of narcotics and explosives.

If they find anything suspicious, the vehicle will be directed to another area for a more thorough check involving K9 and Central Narcotics Bureau officers. TODAY observed the secondary check on one vehicle, which took about 10 minutes.

“The ICA will continue to take necessary measures to facilitate clearance efficiency as much as possible without compromising security. We seek travellers’ understanding and cooperation when using the land checkpoints,” said the authority.