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‘Eyes in the sky’, surveillance vehicle deployed at New Year countdown

SINGAPORE — Police will roll out new gizmos to beef up its surveillance capabilities for this year's New Year countdown, including drones that can blare sirens or warning messages.

A police Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with blinker and search light capabilities seen in flight. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

A police Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with blinker and search light capabilities seen in flight. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

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SINGAPORE — Police will roll out new gizmos to beef up its surveillance capabilities for this year's New Year countdown, including drones that can blare sirens or warning messages.

Revellers waiting for the fireworks at Marina Bay on Sunday (Dec 31) night may spot the drone, equipped with red and blue blinkers, a search light, and an audio system that allows the police to communicate with crowds in the event of an emergency, such as giving them instructions on dispersal.

Developed with security firm Aetos over the last few months, the retrofitted drone is being used for the first time on Sunday, alongside a regular drone that serves as the police's eye in the sky at the floating platform.

Above: A police Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with blinker and search light capabilities pictured. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

The police plan to deploy the retrofitted drone at major events such as the National Day Parade, search and rescue operations, hostage situations and other public order incidents to complement the efforts of its officers on the ground.

The 12kg unmanned aerial vehicle can be flown up to 60 metres high, but can stay airborne only up to 20 minutes due to its limited battery lifespan. The police hope to operationalise it by the final quarter of 2018.

Above: A police Division Command Vehicle (DCV). The DCV can be quickly deployed to command and coordinate operations, and pan-tilt-zoom camera for 360 degrees surveillance of incidents up to 150m away. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

A new surveillance vehicle is also making its maiden appearance at Clarke Quay on Sunday.

While the Division Command Vehicle (DCV) looks like a typical white police van, it is equipped with a powerful panoramic camera which can be hoisted up to 6 metres above ground and capture footage up to 150 metres away.

Above: A police officer inside a Division Command Vehicle (DCV). The DCV can be quickly deployed to command and coordinate operations, and pan-tilt-zoom camera for 360 degrees surveillance of incidents up to 150m away. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

Inside the vehicle are seven mounted screens displaying different views of the targeted suspect or situation, and desks to accommodate up to six officers.

The police said the vehicle may be deployed for "major incidents" such as armed attacks or situations that may stretch over a prolonged time period, such as hostage cases.

The DCV is also a nimbler vehicle compared to the Forward Command Vehicle (FCV), currently used as a mobile command post. The latter takes more than an hour to set up — though it can be expanded on both sides up to the width of three buses — while the DCV can be set up within minutes.

A second DCV will be trialled in January 2018. During the trial, both vehicles will be housed at the Tanglin Police Division and deployed for matters pertaining to the jurisdiction before more are rolled out to the police's six land divisions.

The police plan to relegate its six FCVs eventually.

Above: A police camera with speaker and light capabilities at Clarke Quay. The cameras allow police to respond to crimes or incidents and also serve as a deterrent by playing pre-recorded warning messages and brightening the location should suspicious activities be detected. Photo: Jason Quah/TODAY

To strengthen the effectiveness of policing, a camera with speaker and light capabilities has also been installed at Clarke Quay.

Mounted on a lamp post along River Valley Road, it flashes strobe lights when suspicious activities are detected and plays audio messages to warn potential perpetrators that their actions are being monitored. It will be activated in cases that call for attention of people in the vicinity, such as fights or rioting.

Three of these cameras have been temporarily set up in the Marina Bay area for this year's countdown — at Esplanade waterfront near Jubilee Bridge, along the promenade near the "Mist Walk", and at Exit E of Bayfront MRT, to Bayfront Link.

Speaking at a community event in Yishun, Home Affairs and Law Minister K Shanmugam said that a “high level of security measures” have been put in place for the New Year celebrations across the island.

Illustration: Singapore Police Force

For instance, up to 20 per cent more security personnel, including police officers, have been deployed at the Siloso Beach countdown party compared to last year, with crash barriers also set up for the first time.

At the Marina Bay countdown event, which is expecting a crowd of 350,000, more than 700 security officers will be deployed, while over 50 police cameras will be used.

In all, more than 1750 police officers will be deployed across 25 countdown events across the island. “We are taking this very seriously, and thousands of officers are on higher alert,” said Mr Shanmugam.

Reiterating that Singapore is an “obvious target” for terrorists, Mr Shanmugam said:  "Countdowns all over the world are high profile targets. There can be mad people anywhere in the world who take this opportunity to go out and kill. We are taking this very seriously. Thousands of officers have been deployed."

He cited a recent video released by the terrorist group Islamic State of Syria and Iraq (IS), which again featured 39-year-old Singaporean Megat Shahdan Abdul Samad. 

In the video, Shahdan – who had travelled to Syria in 2014 to join IS – and two other fighters were seen executing three men by shooting them. He later spoke in English, calling on followers to “slay the enemies of Allah”. Back in September, he had also appeared in an IS propaganda video. ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY FARIS MOKHTAR

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