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Bollards, security barriers proposed to thwart vehicular attacks

SINGAPORE — Bollards and security barriers may soon be used to bolster security in public spaces here, amid a spate of terrorist attacks overseas involving vehicles driven into crowds.

Security barriers are seen on Westminster Bridge in London, following a terrorist attack that killed several people. Bollards and security barriers may soon be used to bolster security in public spaces in Singapore, amid the spate of terrorist attacks overseas involving vehicles driven into crowds. Photo: AP

Security barriers are seen on Westminster Bridge in London, following a terrorist attack that killed several people. Bollards and security barriers may soon be used to bolster security in public spaces in Singapore, amid the spate of terrorist attacks overseas involving vehicles driven into crowds. Photo: AP

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SINGAPORE — Bollards and security barriers may soon be used to bolster security in public spaces here, amid a spate of terrorist attacks overseas involving vehicles driven into crowds.

These are among other possibilities considered by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and other agencies in a review to beef up existing security measures, particularly to guard against hostile vehicle attacks, Second Minister for Home Affairs Desmond Lee told Parliament on Tuesday (July 4). 

Responding to queries from Members of Parliament (MPs) on measures that Singapore is taking to guard itself against terrorist attacks seen in Europe and the like, Mr Lee said the review will consider how effective the security measures are in addressing the threat, how these steps fit in their surroundings, and whether they will restrict day-to-day use of the area.

“We could try and fortify the entire city. But this is not a sensible or practical approach. We will have to strike a balance between enhancing security, which is very important on one hand, and disrupting day-to-day activities through the imposition of curbs and restrictions, which will inconvenience the users on the other hand,” he said.

Noting that these are “very difficult security challenges” which the authorities take seriously, Mr Lee added: “As seen in the UK, terror attacks can take place anywhere, anytime. How do we completely guard against someone who drives a car into a crowded public area? Or someone who goes on a stabbing rampage with a kitchen knife?”

Radicalised individuals and groups have increasingly been using vehicles as deadly weapons in recent times. 

Last month, a van rammed into pedestrians outside a mosque in northern London, killing one person and injuring at least 10 others.

In March, three people were killed in a car-ramming attack on Westminister Bridge, also in London.

Last year saw similar attacks in Nice, France, where a cargo truck drove into crowds celebrating Bastille Day in July, and a truck ploughed into a Christmas market in Berlin, Germany, in December.

Mr Lee said on Tuesday that car rental companies have been advised to be “very mindful” of whom they rent their vehicles out to. These firms are currently already required to keep a register of car renters, he added.

In response to this newspaper’s queries, the MHA said that it is working with the Vehicle Rental Association, but cannot go into details due to “operational security reasons”.

TODAY first reported in June about the MHA’s engagements with bollard suppliers and other players in the security industry on the possibility of beefing up the security infrastructure of public spaces where crowds gather. Such areas could include Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and the Speakers’ Corner.

Apart from installing bollards, security consultants and experts interviewed for the report  suggested other security measures such as having security patrols and closed-circuit television cameras in these areas. A new Infrastructure Protection Act will also be introduced later this year to better protect critical infrastructure and large-scale developments.

Reiterating the need to “strike the right balance” in the Republic’s strategy against terror-related attacks, Mr Lee said: “Sometimes you get suggestions that you should harden every area and screen at every possible place. We have to strike the right balance, because if you push to the extreme, without an attack even occurring, the terrorists would have won if life in Singapore and any other city freezes up because of all these measures.”

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