Counter-terrorism exercise held at State Courts for the first time

A counter-terrorism exercise was held at the State Courts for the first time on Dec 7 at about 12pm. 

The objective of the exercise was to test the coordination between the Singapore Police Force and the State Courts as they responded to a simulated terrorist attack within the State Courts.  

The exercise scenario began with two gunmen walking into the State Courts entrance and opening fire at the crowd. Auxiliary police officers (APOs) and State Courts staff then contained the situation till the police arrived.

Officers from the Emergency Response Team and Bukit Merah East Neighbourhood Police Centre responded within minutes and coordinated their response with the APOs and State Courts staff to locate and take down the gunmen.

When asked about the importance of preparing for such emergencies, a spokesperson from the State Courts said: "The State Courts believe it is important to prepare our people for such possible attacks.

"We have partnered the Home Team to conduct a counter-terrorism exercise to help raise the level of awareness and vigilance of our staff, and to coordinate the response plans of court security, police and other stakeholders."

The Singapore Police Force urges all premise owners to review their response plan and exercise their staff to enhance their readiness to deal with an attack.