Close to 200 participants from the Hotel Industry attended the Safety & Security Watch Group (ISSWG) counter-terrorism seminar held at NTUC Centre on Wednesday, 19 May 2017. Senior Minister of State, Ms Sim Ann, was the Guest-of-Honour at the event.
This is the ninth in a series of counter-terrorism seminars organised by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) for various industries under the ambit of SGSecure. The inaugural seminar was held for the Retail Industry on 18 July 2016.
Role of the hotel industry in a terror attack
This seminar was organised for the hotel industry which has been a target of choice for terror attacks in different parts of the world. Any terror attack on this industry has the potential to disrupt our economy and way of life. Hotels must therefore be prepared to deal with such a crisis, recover quickly and return to normalcy.
During the seminar, participants were informed on how to remain vigilant, detect threats, and look out for tell-tale indicators for suspicious persons and vehicles. This is timely amidst the change in tactics adopted by terror groups, such as the vehicle attack in Stockholm in April 2017 and a knife attack in Paris in February 2017.
Participants were also updated on the security situation by speakers from the Home Team. They were also trained on what they could do to enhance the safety and security of their premises, and critical emergency response skills to better manage and handle security-related situations.
Support from our hotel industry members
Members of the hotel industry have been pro-active in adopting robust measures to keep their premises safe and secure through timely review of contingency plans and validation of these plans through regular exercises.
The Singapore Hotel Association (SHA), has been playing a key role in leading the industry and working closely with the SPF and the SCDF in raising awareness and stepping up emergency response measures in the event of a terror attack.
“In today’s heightened security environment where no country is immune to terrorist attacks, the hotel industry is playing its part in the SGSecure movement by being vigilant. Hence, hotel employees are encouraged to stay alert and take immediate action to report suspicious situations.
In addition to hardening their premises, hotels are also looking at training and putting in place processes to strengthen their defence against terrorism. In this regard, the Hotel Industry Safety and Security Watch Group Counter-Terrorism Seminar, organized by the Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force, is an excellent platform for hotels to garner valuable learning points to stay even more prepared against threats.”
- Ms Margaret Heng, Executive Director, Singapore Hotel Association (SHA)
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
19 May 2017 @ 1:45 PM