Boon Lay to draw 500 volunteers as it kicks off SGSecure programme
TODAY file photo.
SINGAPORE — Five hundred people in Boon Lay, from hawkers to students, will be recruited annually into the national SGSecure movement over the next five years — the first ward to do so on this scale.
And the area’s Member of Parliament Patrick Tay hopes to have about 360 of them trained every year in life-saving skills, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
This is in line with the Government’s plan to train at least 300 residents in such skills in every constituency as part of the movement, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong launched officially last month, to combat the threat of terror.
In recruiting its SGSecure ambassadors, Boon Lay, which has 60,000 residents, is casting its net wide. At the ward’s inaugural event yesterday to raise awareness of SGSecure, Mr Tay told TODAY it was crucial to have representatives across different groups. For example, training hawkers is vital as they operate in crowded coffee shops. “(Our) merchants’ association was sharing that because there’s high traffic in coffee shops, at least (the hawkers) will know what to do for a start,” he said.
It was also key to involve religious organisations such as churches as “it goes beyond terrorism to (encompass) racial and religious tensions”, he added.
So far, other initiatives underway in various constituencies include Emergency Preparedness Days, which simulate terror attacks and train residents in emergency skills. Crisis response exercises have also been conducted for grassroots leaders and community emergency response teams.
Besides being taught first-aid skills, Boon Lay’s ambassadors will pick up knowledge in areas such as spotting suspicious behaviour and reporting it to the authorities. They will also serve as “mobilisers”, spreading the word about the importance of the community’s role in the fight against terrorism.
Customer service director David Chua, 47, said news of terror attacks hitting closer to home impelled him to sign up as an ambassador. “Although Singapore is a small country, there’s no way the police or the Home Team can be in every part of (the country); as a citizen, we can help,” said the Boon Lay resident of 16 years.
Boon Lay Secondary student Mohammed Fendi, 14, said he hoped to contribute by looking out for and reporting suspicious activity to keep the neighbourhood safe. Yesterday’s event taught him “how to be vigilant and to respond well in times of crisis”.
Assistant station manager Kannagi Thiru, 36, who attended the event with her son, seven, and daughter, 10, said it was important for the young to “know how to respond as well, and call or SMS the police”.
Besides recruiting ambassadors, Mr Tay plans to heighten awareness through his weekly house visits and mobilising the ambassadors for initiatives such as Emergency Preparedness Days, among other things.
Still, it boils down to individuals to heed the call. “What I can do is only activities. I can facilitate, encourage and catalyse,” he said. “But, at the end of the day, everybody has to play their part.”
