A counter-terrorism exercise was held at the City Square Mall for the first time on 23 November 2017 at about 1.00 am. The exercise objective was to test the coordination among the Singapore Police Force, Singapore Civil Defence Force as well as the mall’s security team and tenants as they responded to a simulated terrorist attack within the mall. The exercise scenario opened with two gunmen walking into the mall and firing at the shoppers in various locations, killing several and injuring numerous others.
Mall security staff were tested on their response to the armed attack. They had to think on their feet and leverage their training to mitigate the threat. The mall’s CCTV system was used to locate the attackers and facilitate evacuation. Shop assistants participating in the exercise were also tested on their responsiveness in helping the shoppers to run or find safe places to hide from the attackers.
Police responded within minutes and coordinated their response with the security team to locate and take down the attackers as SCDF officers moved in to perform snatch-rescue operations to save the injured.
In preparation for the exercise, City Square Mall conducted SGSecure training and table-top exercises to equip its staff and tenants with the necessary skill sets to deal with such an attack. The exercise enabled the mall and the emergency forces to evaluate their response plans and tighten their coordination.
The Singapore Police Force urges all building owners to review their response plan, train and exercise their staff and tenants to enhance their readiness to deal with an attack.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
23 November 2017 @ 2:30 PM