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SINGAPORE : Deputy Prime Minister S Jayakumar has said Singapore needs to constantly review and strengthen its efforts against terrorism.
Speaking at the National Security Seminar on Wednesday, he added that all agencies must continue to work together in a coordinated approach.
The world is highly inter-connected, and extremist ideology can spread easily at the click of a mouse.
The Deputy Prime Minister said the internet is a medium for self-radicalisation. And former lawyer, Abdul Basheer Abdul Kader, is a case in point.
Abdul Basheer had planned to pursue militant jihad in Afghanistan.
He is now in custody. And like other Jemaah Islamiyah detainees, he is receiving guidance.
Professor Jayakumar, who is also Coordinating National Security Minister, said: "The Religious Rehabilitation Group has made much progress through their dedication and efforts in counselling and rehabilitating the detainees so that they can reintegrate back into society."
He warned that society must be sensitised to the fact that a terrorist attack can happen at anytime, especially when it is least expected.
And that is why, Professor Jayakumar added, the best equipment and policies are irrelevant if they are not carried out by dedicated and well-trained people.
An example of such a person is auxiliary police officer Lee Choon Leng. He and his colleague Norazlee Abdul Ghani caught a man with a form of cyanide at Tuas Checkpoint.
Recounting the incident, Mr Lee said: "He opened and again hesitated and left the bag there. He didn't know what to do. So we had to move in and verify the item inside."
And thanks to efforts by officers like Mr Lee and Mr Norazlee, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has recorded a sharp increase in the number of security-related cases, from 490 for the first six months of last year, to 1,500 in the first six months of this year.
The ICA also reported that most of the banned firearm items confiscated included air and replica guns.
The National Security Seminar aims to let senior officers network and share their experience on national security issues.
The programme includes discussions on sensitive material, risk assessment and the latest strategic outlook called Horizon Scanning, which Channel NewsAsia understands has been part of Singapore's security landscape for three years. - CNA/ms
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