Singapore: counterterrorism exercise in food centre

On February 15, Singapore authorities held a counterterrorism exercise at Marsiling Mall Hawker Centre, one of the most renowned food centres in the country’s heartland. The drill, called Exercise Heartbeat, involved more than 80 people and aimed to train community members to save lives and minimize casualties in a security incident. Among the participants were also two members of the association representing the centre, Chua Lay Sing and Kevin Yong, who took the lead in the exercise. Both men are part of the Safety and Security Watch Group Scheme, a group of business owners who cooperate with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) to secure their premises from threats. Commenting on the exercise, Mr Chua said that anything could happen and that it was important to know how to react in an emergency.
Exercise Heartbeat simulated a terrorist action exploiting a cyberattack on the national power grid. A car was set on fire as a diversion while armed men attacked the centre during lunchtime, trying to maximize casualties among the public. After being alerted, the police arrived and engaged the terrorist commando, neutralizing it after a brief gunfire. During the simulation, SCDF officers rescued casualties while firefighters and firefighting robots intervened to put out the flames in the car. Assistant Commissioner of Police Ang Eng Seng expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the event and remarked on Singapore’s strong multi-agency approach to counterterrorism and emergency preparedness.