Businesses ramp up surveillance, training amid terror threat

SINGAPORE — On a Saturday about two years ago, a middle-aged man arrived at music school Play by Ear’s outlet in Jurong and asked a teacher at the counter a barrage of strange questions, such as the closing time and when she was leaving.

This incident prompted the school to more than double the number of closed-circuit TV cameras in its three outlets — from one or two to between five and eight per branch, owner Andrew Yau, 38, told TODAY.

The first CCTV cameras he installed in 2008 or 2009 set him back by “the thousands”, but they are less costly now. He spent between S$300 and S$400 to install the new cameras at each outlet about a year ago.

The school now also has a full-time administrator whose job includes monitoring CCTV camera footage across its three branches in Bugis, Hougang and Jurong.

As the Government unveiled a new programme on Tuesday (Sept 26) under the SGSecure movement to expand outreach to businesses, Mr Yau’s company is one of those which have already taken some steps to prepare employees to deal with emergencies, including a terror incident.

There were times when members of the public masqueraded as students and slipped into its premises to use its facilities, such as toilets and sofas.

This became “a bit worrying”, said Mr Yau.

He added: “A lot of Singaporeans are taking this terrorist threat for granted, like a joke... It’s a real threat.”

Earlier this year, the terror threat was brought up as a topic of discussion in one of the school’s monthly meetings.

Noting that the school’s various rooms created “many blind spots”, he said: “I want all my staff to always keep a lookout, just to be safe (and cultivate the mindset that) if you see anybody who is suspicious (and) leaves things behind, we’ll inform the management.”

Mr Yau said that he was willing to put his staff members, especially its eight or so full-time employees, through seminars or workshops to train them to respond to the terror threat.

Over at the Star Performing Arts Centre in Buona Vista, monthly refresher sessions are held for employees on the emergency evacuation routes and protocols for various scenarios, such as bomb threats and gunman attacks.

These initiatives began after the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena in May, a spokesperson told TODAY.

Employees are also put through training, such as response to a fire incident, and putting in place an “incident management process”.

Other measures being implemented include installing more cameras, improving access control, and registering an SGSecure representative. Metal detectors and explosive trace detectors are also in the works.

“These measures are important so that the Star Performing Arts Centre can better manage safety and security risks in the workplace ... Most of all, (we) want to ensure that patrons and visitors to the venue feel safe,” the spokesperson added.