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This is What an ICA Officer Looks Like

Serving with pride and dedication to secure our sea checkpoints.

GRAPHIC AND PHOTOS: Jade Tan

You know them as our Home Team Guardians, working hard 24/7 to keep Singapore safe and secure. In our GUARDIANS photo series, we hear their personal stories, told from the heart.

Established in 2003, the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is Singapore’s border control agency. Its vigilant officers help keep our borders secure. Six officers from ICA’s Integrated Checkpoints Command (ICC), Sea Domain, share what motivates them to give their very best.

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THE PERSONAL TOUCH
Checkpoint Inspector (1) Zufadli Bin Mohd Noor, 34
Secondary Team Officer (Assistant Team Leader), Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“As a frontline officer, I get to help people a lot. A typical day at work for me involves interacting with travellers; we’ll ask them questions and talk to them, to make sure that all’s well.

“During my free time, I’ll be with my family. I have three young kids so I like to bring them out more often and create fond memories together.”

OF CHALLENGES AND SUNSETS
Sergeant (2) Rodney Lin, 28
Clearance Team Officer; Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“I’ve been with the Home Team for six years now, including my National Service days.

“My work involves conducting immigration clearances onboard ships. Being out at sea, we face different challenges, which we have to solve independently and decisively. That's why I love my job.

“Sometimes, the public misunderstands our actions and feel that we’re unnecessarily demanding. However, what they need to understand is that such actions are necessary to keep our borders safe and secure.

“Another perk of my job? I get to enjoy the sunset every day!”

READING BETWEEN THE LINES
Staff Sergeant Hilda Tan, 39
Baggage Officer; Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“As a Clearance Officer, I can be deployed in various roles. On a typical day, I may be deployed to a counter to conduct immigration clearance or to the green channel for baggage checks.

“People often have the misconception that ICA officers only stamp passports, but in fact, we perform a variety of important roles that the public doesn’t know about. For instance, we also check travellers to ensure that they don’t bring prohibited or security-sensitive items into Singapore.

“I’m an avid reader. During breaks and after work, I like to read thrillers and romance novels!”

EXPERIENCE, TRAINING, INTUITION
Sergeant (2) Jagatheswari D/O Muthusamy, 36
Checkpoint Response Team; Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“This is my 11th year with ICA!

“My postings have been quite different from one another, and in my current role, I perform immigration clearance for arriving and departing travellers. When the need arises, I also conduct interviews with travellers. With experience and training, you develop an intuition about what to look out for.

“I celebrated my birthday a few weeks ago and had a great time with my family. My daughter is doing very well in her studies, and she’s very chatty and bubbly. I look forward to spending time with her after work!”

DOING HIS UTMOST TO SERVE
Assistant Superintendent Terrence Chiang, 31
Protective Security (Team Leader); Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“My main role is to lead a group of highly-trained officers who deal with day-to-day security incidents at the Singapore Cruise Centre. These include cases of criminal trespass and various threats, amongst others.

“I’ve served with ICA for six years, and it’s been fulfilling and fun. We do our utmost to secure our borders and keep Singapore safe.

“ICA officers work during weekends, public holidays and festive periods. I appreciate what my fellow ICA officers do in order to serve the public.

“In my free time, I like to watch Hong Kong TV serials, and my go-to programmes are police dramas and thrillers.”

A CRUCIAL ROLE
Deputy Superintendent Firdouse Bin Sukor, 47
Assistant Commander of Protective Security, Team B; Coastal Command, ICC (Sea)

“I've been serving in the Home Team since 2007. I was initially posted to Tuas Checkpoint before Changi Airport and a few other postings. Now, I find myself here at the Singapore Cruise Centre.

“As an Assistant Commander of the Protective Security team, I lead a group of officers and, together, we ensure that the Singapore Cruise Centre is firmly secure.

“We leverage technology to automate various immigration processes and allow for more efficient clearance. But at the end of the day, our officers will always play a crucial role.”