Committee of Supply 2025 debate, Day 3: Josephine Teo on building a future-oriented and trusted Home Team

Singapore started recruiting foreign Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) from more sources in December last year. They are from Sri Lanka, Myanmar, the Philippines, India and China and make up about three per cent of the total APO workforce. All APOs must meet physical, educational and probity requirements set by the Singapore Police Force. These include passing security screening and the APO basic course. Second Minister for Home Affairs Josephine Teo, who gave this update in parliament on Tuesday (Mar 4), said the Auxiliary Police Forces ensured that the new APOs become familiar with Singapore’s local context, cultural nuances and operating environment. She highlighted this as one way to overcome manpower challenges. Similarly, the Singapore Civil Defence Force will recruit ASEAN nationals for its Emergency Medical Services from this month. All new recruits will undergo rigorous training and accreditation. Mrs Teo pointed out that over the years, the Home Team has embarked on numerous transformation initiatives as it faces new and growing demands in an increasingly complex threat landscape. It has been taking bold steps to leverage technology, using AI against AI-driven crime. Singapore will continue to review its laws to deal with traditional crimes committed in cyberspace and strengthen its regulatory frameworks to better leverage technology to combat cybercrimes, said Mrs Teo.