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New programme to help businesses prepare for terror threat

SINGAPORE — A new programme to bring businesses up to speed with the terror threat is focusing on five industries that typically see higher human traffic flow. They are the food and beverage, retail, entertainment, hotel and transport industries, which will get to take part in training, simulation exercises and seminars.

The Government will expand the SGSecure movement outreach to businesses in the food and beverage (F&B), retail, entertainment, hotel and transport sectors, announced the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Tuesday (Sept 26). Photo: TODAY file photo

The Government will expand the SGSecure movement outreach to businesses in the food and beverage (F&B), retail, entertainment, hotel and transport sectors, announced the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) announced on Tuesday (Sept 26). Photo: TODAY file photo

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SINGAPORE — A new programme to bring businesses up to speed with the terror threat is focusing on five industries that typically see higher human traffic flow. They are the food and beverage, retail, entertainment, hotel and transport industries, which will get to take part in training, simulation exercises and seminars.

The new SGSecure at Workplaces programme, unveiled on Tuesday (Sept 26) by the Manpower Ministry (MOM), comes a year after the SGSecure movement was launched to strengthen readiness in the community to deal with a terror attack.

Under the new programme, the MOM, unions and employers will team up with industry associations from the five sectors, as well as key building owners, to build greater awareness of the SGSecure movement.

The police’s safety and security watch group will also step in to train workers in responding to a crisis.

Simulation exercises will be carried out to teach tenants and building management how to handle an attack, and seminars will be held to familiarise businesses with the terror threat and increase preparedness.

From next month, about 151,000 active businesses will progressively receive an SGSecure guide for workplaces, which recommends the ways companies can prepare themselves, covering areas such as training for employees and the protection of IT systems. The target is to have 30,000 “SGSecure-engaged” and 27,000 “SGSecure-ready” companies by 2020.

SGSecure-engaged firms will have an appointed representative to spearhead the efforts — he or she will receive regular SGSecure updates from government agencies, and alert colleagues to the latest developments.

SGSecure-ready companies are those which have an active representative, and where employees are armed with life-saving skills and a basic awareness of SGSecure.

They will also have fostered networks with nearby businesses and partners to ramp up vigilance and better respond to a threat, and have risk management and business continuity plans in place.

Smaller firms will get more attention as the new programme rolls out.

Minister of State (Manpower) Sam Tan said that unlike many big companies which already have risk-management programmes, small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may not be able to make such preparations or put their workers through courses. SMEs form 99 per cent of businesses here.

On Tuesday, the Government also rolled out the enhanced bizSafe programme that helps companies build workplace safety and health capabilities. It now features SGSecure components in the first three levels of its five-step framework.

Mr Dennis Foo, president of the Singapore Nightlife Business Association, said that at least half the nightspots here have security measures in place, including the use of closed-circuit TV (CCTV) cameras. The association has 443 nightspots as members.

Mr Foo noted a trend towards nightspots installing more CCTVs, which are an “affordable investment”. “Those that don’t have (them), this is the time to put them up.” He said that checking patrons’ bags at the door serves as a “natural deterrent”, but employees at other establishments, such as pubs where there are no door controls, have to be more alert.

As for simulation exercises at nightspots, Mr Foo said that once such a culture catches on, it would be “good practice” for nightclubs to conduct these drills during non-operational hours.

“It really doesn’t take a lot of effort,” he added.

Nightspots are “soft targets” for terrorists, he said, and the association will continue its outreach to operators.  

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