A new Healthcare Industry Safety and Security Watch Group (Healthcare iSSWG) was launched on October 14 to strengthen the security and safety measures within healthcare facilities across Singapore. The initiative, led by the Singapore Police Force, is the latest addition to a series of industry-specific watch groups established since 2008, aimed at enhancing preparedness against crime and security threats.
The creation of the Healthcare iSSWG follows a series of security incidents highlighting vulnerabilities in medical settings. One notable case occurred on June 20, 2015, when a 26-year-old man in police custody for vehicle theft was escorted to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital after reporting chest pains. He managed to wrest a revolver from an officer and fired three shots while attempting to escape, wounding the officer in the left thumb and right foot. The event underscored the risks healthcare institutions face despite their critical role in public health.
Healthcare facilities often contend with high foot traffic, continuous front-line operations, and the presence of vulnerable patients, factors that make security planning especially crucial. According to Sim Ann, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs, institutions must maintain sustained vigilance due to an increasingly complex threat environment. She also highlighted the rising incidents of abuse and harassment against healthcare workers, citing data from the Tripartite Workgroup for the Prevention of Abuse and Harassment of Healthcare Workers indicating that reported cases in the public healthcare sector have nearly doubled over the past two years. Approximately 13 percent of these cases were serious enough to warrant police involvement.
Sim further noted that Singapore’s terrorism threat level remains elevated due to global geopolitical tensions and the proliferation of online extremist content, which have contributed to a fourfold increase in youth radicalization cases over the past five years. Despite ongoing public awareness efforts, a social experiment conducted by the SGSecure movement in 2025 revealed that only about 17 percent of bystanders noticed suspicious items such as unattended luggage or vehicles, with as few as 5 percent responding to alert authorities.
In conjunction with the Healthcare iSSWG launch, awards were presented to 185 individuals and 24 organizations as part of the National Safety and Security Watch Group and the Threat-Oriented Person Screening Integrated System programs. These awardees have implemented strong security protocols, emergency response plans, and technological enhancements including CCTV and access control systems.
Among the recipients was UOB, where managing director Marcus Lai recounted an incident in September 2026 involving an arson attack at a mosque located in the bank’s premises. Thanks to extensive CCTV coverage, police were able to apprehend the suspect quickly. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Singapore also received recognition for its ongoing threat screening efforts across 32 churches, having trained around 4,000 staff and volunteers in threat identification. The archdiocese is intensifying security awareness in response to two recent security incidents, including a stabbing during mass in 2024 and a suspicious-item alarm in 2025 that triggered a full emergency response but turned out to be a false alarm.
The establishment of the Healthcare iSSWG represents a proactive step toward fostering collaboration between law enforcement and healthcare providers, aiming to build a vigilant and resilient community capable of addressing current and future security challenges in the healthcare sector.