First counter-terrorism exercise held at Supreme Court building

A counter-terrorism exercise was held at the Supreme Court building for the first time on Dec 6 by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), together with the Supreme Court.

The exercise aimed to validate operational plans and test the coordination between the SPF and the Supreme Court as they responded to a simulated terrorist attack within the Supreme Court building.

The exercise scenario saw two gunmen entering the Supreme Court building by tailgating a staff member. Then, they started shooting at members of the public.

The Supreme Court staff and Auxiliary Police Officers (APOs) kept the situation under control till the police arrived.

Officers from the Central Police Division, such as the Police Custodial Branch, Emergency Response Team and Marina Bay Neighbourhood Police Centre responded to the incident and coordinated their response with the APOs to locate and neutralise the gunman.

A spokesperson from the Supreme Court said: "The joint counter-terrorism exercise with the Singapore Police Force was very useful in preparing staff and tenants for a terrorist attack when it happens.

"With the global threat of terrorism, the joint counter-terrorism exercise with the Singapore Police Force has helped to raise awareness, the level of vigilance amongst staff and tested the robustness of our emergency response plans.”

The police added that a terror attack has the potential to disrupt the community and businesses with implications beyond the immediate harm to lives and property at the incident location.

The SPF urges all premise owners to review their emergency response plans, and exercise their staff and tenants to enhance their readiness to deal with an attack.