Committee of Supply Debate 2025 on "Building a Future-Oriented and Trusted Home Team" – Speech by Mrs Josephine Teo, Minister for Digital Development and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs

1. Mr Chairman, I thank Members for your support of MHA. 

2. My colleagues and I will address the points you raised. 

(a) Minister of State Sun Xueling will speak about our multi-pronged approach to tackle scams.

(b) Minister of State Faishal will touch on our rehabilitation initiatives, including for drug abusers.

(c) I will provide an update on the Ministry’s transformation efforts, for a future-oriented and trusted Home Team.

3. Over the years, the Home Team has embarked on numerous transformation initiatives. Assoc Prof Razwana Begum asked about our progress. 

4. The ICA’s New Clearance Concept, or NCC, is one of our flagship transformation projects. It has enhanced Singapore’s border security. Risk assessments can now be conducted ahead of the passengers’ arrival, enabling ICA to better identify travellers with possible security or immigration risks. 

5. At the same time, with passport-less clearance at Changi Airport, the traveller experience has improved significantly. The traveller just has to face the screen, without needing to also scan the passport. Typically, it takes only 10 seconds for a traveller to clear immigration, which is 60% faster than before. 

6. NCC has also transformed the job of the ICA officer. They no longer spend most of their time opening, checking and stamping passports. With re-skilling, they now perform higher-value added work to safeguard Singapore’s borders, such as profiling travellers as they go through the automated lanes. 

7. In the past, each manual counter needed to be manned by an individual officer. Today, one ICA officer alone can oversee up to six automated gates. This has allowed ICA to reduce the number of officers deployed for existing immigration clearance duties by 250 persons, while saving the need for an additional 4,000 officers to cope with more travellers and new checkpoints, like the RTS Link and Changi T5.     

8. Sir, in every aspect, the Home Team faces new and growing demands. 

9. The threat landscape is increasingly complex. Criminals are exploiting technology, in particular, Artificial Intelligence (AI), to carry out more sophisticated crimes and to hit more victims.

10. The manpower constraints are also more binding. Birth rates are declining and the competition for talent,  very tough. The Home Team Departments have been reviewing and reprioritising operations, policies, and other work.  Despite these efforts, the pressures on the Home Team remains intense.  

11. Mr Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim asked about measures to deal with the tech-enabled crime. To stay ahead, the Home Team has been taking bold steps to leverage technology in our mission, in particular, using AI against AI-enabled crime. 

12. Last year, HTX launched the Home Team AI Movement to accelerate the development and delivery of AI capabilities across the Home Team. By end-2025, HTX will have hired and trained a 300-person AI workforce. 

13. We have started to use some of these AI solutions. 

14. One example is SCDF’s Targeted On-site Inspection Tool, which is an AI model to assess the likelihood of fire safety violations in commercial and industrial premises, using data from various sources, including past inspection reports. 

15. The tool will be progressively rolled out to frontline units for field testing in the coming months. It will allow SCDF to optimise its resources, by carrying out inspections on a more targeted basis. 

16. Other than AI, the Home Team is also leveraging smart and autonomous solutions to detect threats earlier and respond faster. 

17. For example, Singapore Prisons is trialling the use of smart sensors in its medical wards and cells to monitor inmates’ vital signs remotely. The system will enable Prisons officers to respond more quickly to incidents such as falls and abnormal heart rates among the inmates. This is especially important with a growing pool of older inmates. 

18. As criminals adopt more advanced modus operandi, our criminal justice procedures and processes must also be more nimble and effective to deal with new types of cybercrime, as well as the increased speed and scale at which cybercrimes are being committed. 

19. We will continue to: 

(a) Review our laws, to ensure their ability to deal with traditional crimes committed in cyberspace; and 

(b) Strengthen our regulatory frameworks, to better leverage technology to combat cybercrimes. 

For example, with the rapid proliferation of websites that facilitate scams and other malicious cyber activities, the Government is considering how to use technology to autonomously disrupt such websites more rapidly.

20. Let me say something about Generative AI (Gen AI) and how it matters for the Home Team.. 

21. Gen AI has the potential to improve operational effectiveness and efficiency, for us to better serve Singaporeans. But as with many other technologies, it comes with risks. 

22. First, risks of abuse. Just as the Home Team seeks to use Gen AI to improve our work, criminals are also abusing the same technology, to prey on innocent victims. 

23. For example, scammers are exploiting Gen AI to produce fake content at speed and scale, and to target victims. They can also use it to manufacture evidence to mislead or frustrate investigators.  

24. We are therefore developing capabilities, to detect and identify AI-generated scams and falsified content. For example, AlchemiX, a Gen AI-powered algorithm, has been developed to identify whether audio or video recordings are genuine. 

25. Our capabilities must be backed by strong legislative frameworks. Under the Online Criminal Harms Act, once potential scam content is detected, directions can be issued to online service providers to prevent the content from reaching Singapore users. Designated online service providers are already required to implement measures to proactively disrupt online scams, including those facilitated by AI. We will continuously assess if they need to do more.  

26. A second risk is when we use Gen AI to support decision-making. What if the model was trained using data that was illegally obtained? What if the model produces outputs that are biased against certain groups?  

27. These risks are not unique to MHA. We take them seriously and have put in place an AI Governance Framework to guide the implementation of AI projects and ensure compliance with our laws, such as ensuring fair, representative and responsible use of data. 

28. We will also put in place safeguards, including to ensure that there is an appropriate level of human intervention to act as a layer of checks and ensure accountability. 

29. In addition to these risks, Ms He Ting Ru highlighted AI generated crime that are violent in nature. I agree with her that the risks to children and women are particularly concerning. We are thus moving quickly to deal with these risks robustly. To Ms He’s question on the timeline for Penal Code amendments, we plan to table them in the second quarter of this year, when the Bill is ready. More details will be announced in due course. As for the new legislation and agency to tackle online harms, I will be providing more information during MDDI’s COS debate. 

30. So while technological capabilities are important, they are not enough. We also need to ensure that Home Team officers are well-trained to use the technologies. 

31. As part of the Home Team AI Movement, HTX is developing an AI training roadmap to empower officers across all our agencies to use AI tools effectively. 

32. The SPF has also implemented a cybercrime competency framework, to provide its officers with the skillsets to tackle rapidly evolving cybercrimes. 

33. To Ms He’s suggestion, I am pleased to share that training programmes have been provided to better support our Police officers in dealing with sexual crime cases. A training roadmap has also been implemented for officers managing sexual crime and family violence cases to equip them with the necessary skills to handles these sensitive cases. 

34. Earlier, I spoke about our manpower challenges. One key area that has been significantly impacted is SCDF’s Emergency Medical Services, or EMS. Ms Mariam Jaafar asked how we are coping.

35. Overall demand for EMS has increased by almost 30% over the past five years.  We expect it to spike further as our population ages.

36. SCDF has therefore expanded its recruitment pathways for EMS officers, including through the SCDF-ITE Work-Study Diploma, and this is in Paramedicine, and it offers applicants an opportunity to begin a career with SCDF while pursuing a diploma. 

37. To recognise, develop, and retain deep expertise in the EMS domain, SCDF also introduced the Paramedicine Expert Track. The first batch of 16 senior specialists will be appointed on 1st  April. They will enable SCDF to build domain knowledge in the EMS field, mentor junior paramedics, and improve EMS protocols. In recognition of their expertise and additional contributions to SCDF, the senior specialists will receive an additional allowance.  

38. Despite these efforts, and more competitive salaries, local recruitment is insufficient to meet all our needs. This is because EMS roles require advanced medical skills that are in short supply locally. Also, EMS work, although very fulfilling, is very challenging, and may not appeal to all.  

39. Starting this month, we will supplement local recruitment with applications from ASEAN nationals. All new recruits, regardless of nationality, will undergo rigorous training and accreditation, including to obtain the necessary professional qualifications, in accordance with SCDF’s standards. This is to ensure that SCDF continues to deliver the highest standard of emergency medical services to Singaporeans. At the same time, SCDF will continue to focus on recruiting Singaporeans, to maintain a strong local core. 

40. Last January, we also shared in Parliament that MHA may allow our Auxiliary Police Forces or APFs to recruit foreign Auxiliary Police Officers, APOs, from more sources. As of Dec 2024, APOs have been recruited from five new sources – namely Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Philippines, India and China – and constituted about 3% of the total APO workforce. Singaporeans make up the majority of APOs and will remain so.

41. To ensure that safety and security standards are not compromised, all APOs, regardless of nationality, must meet the physical, educational and probity requirements set by the Singapore Police Force. This includes passing security screening, and the APO basic course. The APFs also ensure that the new APOs become familiar with Singapore’s local context, cultural nuances, and operating environment. 

42. Mr Zhulkarnain asked how we are updating our efforts to harness the support of the community in keeping Singapore safe and secure. 

43. In May last year, SPF launched the Cyber Guardians on Watch initiative, to enlist the help of the public to tackle cybercrimes. The Cyber Guardians receive advisories from the Police, for dissemination to their own networks and communities, to raise awareness of online scams and other cybercrimes. They also act as the Police’s eyes and ears in the cyberspace and will alert the Police to any suspicious activity online. Since 1st January this year, more than 32,000 members have been helping to make cyberspace safer for Singaporeans. This is highly commendable. 

44. Overall, the Home Team has achieved good outcomes for our people. These are reflected in how Singaporeans view the Home Team positively and hold our officers in high regard. In the 2024 SPF Public Perception Survey, 97% of the respondents said they trusted the Police and that they would provide information or assistance to the Police if there was a need. Many have also stepped forward to volunteer and assist in our crime prevention efforts. These attitudes are indicative of a high level of trust between the public and the Home Team, which as Mr Zhulkarnain mentioned, is lacking in many other jurisdictions. 

45. We will continue our efforts to build understanding and trust with the public.

46. Mr Chairman, with your permission, I would like to conclude my remarks in Mandarin. 

47. 主席先生，社会对内政团队的需求日益增长和不断演变，我们必须加强运用科技、培养人才，并与社区紧密合作，以及提升内政团队的效能和效率。

48. 只有这样，新加坡才能保留全球最安全国家之一的美誉，并确保我们的人民能够继续安居乐业。

49. 令人欣慰的是，内政团队获得了公众的高度信任。我们将继续推动转型，履行对国人的承诺。

50. 谢谢。