Marina Bay new year countdown: Police to deploy drones for crowd control; advise public to check portal showing real-time crowds

SINGAPORE — Ahead of the new year countdown event at Marina Bay this weekend, the police have advised revellers to check crowd levels online before heading down to join the festivities.

An information portal, Crowd@MarinaBay, will go online on Saturday (Dec 31) at 6pm and it will show real-time crowd levels and area closures, as well as features such as alternate walking paths.

Police officers, auxiliary police officers, and security officers will be deployed to manage crowds at various locations such as The Promontory, One Fullerton/Merlion Park, Esplanade Park, Esplanade Waterfront Promenade and Marina Bay Sands Waterfront Promenade, said the police on Tuesday.

"When the capacity of these areas reaches planned safety thresholds, these areas will be closed to ensure the safety of members of the public," they said.

In the event of overcrowding, some entrances and exits of MRT stations around Marina Bay will be closed to regulate crowd flow. Trains may also skip affected stations such as Bayfront MRT Station to divert the crowd away.

MRT stations including City Hall, Raffles Place and Bayfront are expected to be very crowded. Members of the public are encouraged to use other nearby MRT stations such as Esplanade, Downtown and Marina Bay, the police said.

The police added that officers from the Special Operations Command, Protective Security Command, Public Transport Security Command, Police Coast Guard, Traffic Police, Emergency Response Teams and Aerial Response Team will also be deployed to enhance patrols during the countdown.

USE OF DRONES

In addition to the Crowd@MarinaBay map, the police will deploy drones during the countdown to assist in crowd control.

The drones, equipped with thermal and visual sensors, will allow the police to check crowd size, flow and density. Some will also have speakers attached to broadcast public safety measures to the crowd.

Three types of drones — weighing 1kg, 5kg and 7kg — will be used. Superintendent Sum Tuck Meng, the officer-in-charge of unmanned aerial vehicles in the police operations department, said that these will only be flown over water by specially trained officers. 

Enhanced Mobicams, which feature static police cameras, blinkers, speakers and electronic signs, will also be placed in crowded areas for the police to monitor crowd levels.

AFTER THE COUNTDOWN

Once the event is over, the police noted that crowd dispersal will likely be slow due to the large number of people.

To facilitate safe and orderly dispersal, there will be designated routes out of Marina Bay, including the area closures, with signs put up to guide the public.

Crowd flow into the MRT stations will also be regulated to prevent overcrowding.

"A huge turnout is expected at the Marina Bay area, and the police have carefully calibrated the crowd management plans for the event... We seek the understanding of the public to be patient and to follow the instructions of police officers and marshals," said Superintendent Ho Li Fang.

ROAD CLOSURES 

Road and lane closures will also be in place during the countdown.

The public is advised to take public transport to Marina Bay due to limited parking spaces in the vicinity. Vehicles parked in the buildings located within the closed roads may not be able to exit during the road closure periods. CNA

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