SINGAPORE — Even though there are trained officers patrolling the transport network every day, security is a shared effort and commuters have an important part to play as well.

“There is a lot that we can do together – because it is not just the role of the police officers or the army, or the security agencies – it is actually a shared effort by all… it requires the public to report any suspicious items,” said Mr Amrin Amin, the Parliamentary Secretary for the Home Affairs Ministry, during a visit to Boon Keng MRT station Thursday (Feb 25).

An alert public also helps the Home Affairs Ministry cope with the manpower crunch. “I think there’s no magic bullet... it requires a concerted effort, a multi-faceted approach, and this is what the Home team is doing as a whole,” he said.

Mr Amrin was at Boon Keng MRT to observe Public Transport Security Command (TransCom) officers carrying out their duties. TransCom is a specialist unit that was officially commissioned on August 2009 in the wake of terrorist attacks on public transport systems in London, Madrid and Mumbai.

TransCom’s frontline Foot Patrol Group is made up of four full-time Police National Servicemen (PNSFs) who are trained to identify, detect and handle suspicious items like improvised explosive devices and conduct spot-checks on people who exhibit suspicious behaviour.

“As a Singaporean, I am very proud to play my part in keeping my country safe, especially because my parents take the public transport to work,” said Special Constable Corporal Muhammad Farid Yusoff, 21, who has been with TranCom since last June.