Next phase of SGSecure asks individuals what roles they can play against terror threat

SINGAPORE: Extreme sports enthusiast Sheila Hassan nearly drowned doing water activities in Australia in 2000, but was saved by responders who threw her a lifeline.

The near-death experience motivated the 52-year-old to become a registered SGSecure responder. Her training came in handy last year, when she was mobilised after a man suffered a cardiac arrest near the gym where she was working.

She performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man, who had collapsed in a toilet, and saved his life.

"I would encourage everybody to step forward, to be there, to make a difference in life," she told CNA.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Friday (Jul 28) launched the next phase of the SGSecure movement, which urges Singaporeans to deepen social cohesion and play an active role to safeguard society from terrorism and extremism.

The SGSecure movement was introduced in 2016 to sensitise, train, and mobilise Singaporeans to play a part in preventing and dealing with a terrorist attack.

Ms Sheila is among the more than 140,000 community responders in its network.

SGSecure's next phase will continue its focus on mobilising the community, as well as engaging youths and strengthening community partnerships.

"The real difficulty with Singapore is trying to persuade people that the terror threat is very real," Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said at the launch.

Referring to examples of extremist attacks in other countries, he said that if there were a successful attack in Singapore, the consequences would be "quite far-reaching".

A terror attack, even one that is foiled, can deepen mistrust between groups of people and create a climate of fear, he said.

"It's not just a terror attack, it's what it does to our society and our unity," added the minister.

The next phase of SGSecure features a new tagline, "What's Your Role?", which aims to inspire Singaporeans to discover the role they can play in countering terrorism, MHA said in a press release.

These may include a person who shows care for a friend who is potentially radicalised, or a person who calls out fake news to stop it from spreading, among others.

The terrorism threat to Singapore remains high, with self-radicalisation online being the primary threat driver, according to the Internal Security Department's annual terrorism threat report released on Monday.

Since 2015, 49 self-radicalised individuals have been dealt with under the Internal Security Act. Of these, 11 were youths aged 15 to 20 when picked up by authorities.

The report also highlighted that only about 37 per cent of respondents in a survey said they would contact authorities if they believed that a loved one was showing signs of radicalisation.

More than 9 in 10 people feel they have a role to play in keeping Singapore safe, but worry about not being trained and are unsure of how they can contribute, said Mr Shanmugam.

For electrical engineer Nadanasigamani Senthil, 48, it was a love for Singapore and the opportunities it gave him to study and work that motivated him to become an SGSecure responder.

The former construction worker became a citizen in 2008, after more than a decade here.

His training helped him to assess the danger and remain calm when he helped to evacuate residents after a fire broke out in his neighbour's flat last year.

On what he would tell other would-be responders, Mr Senthil said: "The safety and security, what (we are) enjoying today, is not only from the police. We need public support."