Singapore cannot let its guard down and be complacent about peace and security: PM Wong

Published Sep 23, 2026, 10:36 AM

Updated Sep 23, 2026, 10:36 AM

PM Lawrence Wong warns Singapore against complacency in security, citing recent close calls with self-radicalised individuals planning attacks.

SGSecure's 10th anniversary highlights the importance of public vigilance, community trust, and preparedness to maintain safety and counter extremist threats.

New initiatives include an AI chatbot to enhance public awareness and response across schools, workplaces, and communities.

SINGAPORE – The many years of peace and security in Singapore may result in people letting their guard down, but this is a complacency the Republic cannot afford, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said on Sept 23.

In a speech to mark SGSecure’s 10th anniversary, PM Wong said an ordinary day in Singapore is nothing dramatic, but this sense of safety should not be taken for granted.

He noted reports of close calls, with the authorities stopping potential lone wolf attacks just weeks before they were carried out.

The self-radicalised individuals include a 17-year-old who the Internal Security Department (ISD) detained in 2024 as he was planning an attack in a neighbourhood centre near Tampines West Community Club.

“We managed to intervene in time before anyone was hurt. But things could have turned out very differently.

“So I ask myself: can we keep catching every case in time? What if one day, despite our best efforts, something gets through? No security system can give us a 100 per cent guarantee.

“That is why we cannot become complacent about safety and security in Singapore,” said PM Wong, adding that the country has been fortunate so far.

He noted that the security agencies have worked tirelessly behind the scenes, detecting individuals who posed a danger, disrupted plots, and intervened before anyone was harmed.

“As Prime Minister, whenever I am briefed about such a case, my first reaction is relief,” said PM Wong at the event held at Our Tampines Hub.

He said Singaporeans go about their daily lives and attend religious services, take public transport, go on a walk at night in their neighbourhood or watch their children go to school without constantly worrying about danger.

He said they are used to their country being safe.

PM Wong added: “These things feel normal to us. But look around the world, and you realise that what we regard as normal in Singapore is actually quite exceptional.

“What we have today is possible only because we have all worked hard to keep Singapore safe – through our security agencies, and by building preparedness and trust across our society.”

He said SGSecure was launched 10 years ago to get Singaporeans to stay alert to threats and know what to do if something were to happen, and in the event of an attack, to stay calm, help one another and not allow fear or hatred to divide society.

PM Wong said Singaporeans need to speak up when they see behaviour that is not right, and not walk away.

This includes not assuming someone else will deal with an unattended bag spotted in a public place, or ignoring a friend or family member who is drawn to extremist material online.

“To be clear, we do not want Singaporeans to live in fear, or suspicious of everyone around them. We want to continue going about our lives with confidence and peace of mind.

“But we can only do so if we are alert and prepared, and take sensible action when something does not seem right,” he said, adding that SGSecure remains important for this reason.

PM Wong lauded the progress made so far. He noted that more Singaporeans now know what to do in a crisis including how to help someone in distress and protect those around them.

He said neighbourhoods, workplaces, schools, religious and community organisations are now better prepared to deal with emergencies.

“And we have built stronger bonds of trust across our society. These bonds become especially important if an attack is motivated by race or religion,” said PM Wong.

He pointed out that after ISD detained the 17-year-old, the Tampines GRC Community Response Roundtable quickly brought religious leaders together.

“They stood together and sent a clear message: such violent extremist ideologies represent none of our communities, and would not divide us. That is the resilience we need,” he added.

PM Wong’s remarks come amid the release of an annual threat assessment report by ISD, which showed that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are contributing to the high terrorism threat facing Singapore.

The report on Sept 10 noted that the conflicts have contributed to growing hostilities between communities, and anti-Semitism has surged in many parts of the world. Anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobia have also intensified.

ISD said youth radicalisation is also a pressing concern , with the number of cases involving young people in the past five years almost quadrupling from four cases between 2017 and 2021 to 15 cases since 2022.

At the event, PM Wong attended an exhibition showcasing how Singaporeans can stay alert and keep the Republic safe.

The exhibits, which will be held at Our Tampines Hub from Sept 23 to 27 , include a series of giant inflatables showing Singapore icons, collectively dubbed as the “SGSecure Kakis”, with each representing a specific role.

The event was also attended by Edwin Tong, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Law Minister, and Sim Ann, Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Home Affairs.

In a release on Sept 23, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced it is trialling an AI-powered WhatsApp chatbot to help SGSecure advocates, volunteers and frontline officers access resources, guidance and test their knowledge while engaging the public.

Other upcoming initiatives include expanding the SGSecure Advocate Programme, which trains community members to share messages on recognising threats, staying safe and reporting signs of radicalisation.

Piloted in Institute of Higher Learning in 2024, the programme is in the works of being extended to schools, workplaces, religious and other community organisations.

The SGSecure movement was launched by then Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to understand the evolving security landscape and new threats, as well as equip them with skills to respond during an attack.

It has been engaging the community, with more than 716,000 households participating since 2016.

发布于 2026 年 9 月 23 日上午 10:36

更新于2026年9月23日上午10:36

新加坡总理黄循财警告新加坡不要在安全方面掉以轻心，并列举了近期一些自我激进化的个人策划袭击的险情。

SGSecure 成立 10 周年凸显了公众警惕、社区信任和做好准备对于维护安全和打击极端主义威胁的重要性。

新举措包括推出人工智能聊天机器人，以提高学校、工作场所和社区的公众意识和响应能力。

新加坡——新加坡总理黄循财9月23日表示，新加坡多年的和平与安全可能会让人们放松警惕，但这是新加坡共和国不能承受的自满情绪。

在纪念 SGSecure 成立 10 周年的讲话中，黄英贤总理表示，新加坡的普通一天没有什么特别之处，但这种安全感不应被视为理所当然。

他注意到有报道称，当局在潜在的独狼式袭击发生前几周就阻止了这些袭击，险些酿成大祸。

这些自我激进化的人员中包括一名 17 岁的少年，他于 2024 年被内部安全局 (ISD) 拘留，当时他正计划在淡滨尼西民众俱乐部附近的邻里中心发动袭击。

“我们及时介入，才避免了人员伤亡。但事情原本可能完全不同。”

“所以我问自己：我们能及时发现每一桩案件吗？如果有一天，尽管我们尽了最大的努力，还是有漏网之鱼怎么办？没有任何安全系统能给我们百分之百的保证。”

“正因如此，我们不能对新加坡的安全保障掉以轻心，”黄循财总理说，并补充说，新加坡迄今为止一直很幸运。

他指出，安全机构一直在幕后不懈努力，侦查构成危险的个人，挫败阴谋，并在任何人受到伤害之前进行干预。

黄循财总理在淡滨尼天地举行的活动上表示：“作为总理，每当我听到这类案件的简报时，我的第一反应都是松一口气。”

他说，新加坡人照常过着日常生活，参加宗教仪式，乘坐公共交通工具，晚上在附近散步，或者看着孩子上学，而不会一直担心危险。

他说他们已经习惯了国家的安全。

黄循财总理补充道：“这些事情对我们来说感觉很正常。但放眼世界，你会发现我们在新加坡视为正常的事情，实际上是相当特殊的。”

“我们今天所拥有的一切，都得益于我们所有人为保障新加坡安全所付出的努力——通过我们的安全机构，以及在整个社会中建立防范意识和信任。”

他说，SGSecure 于 10 年前推出，旨在让新加坡人对威胁保持警惕，了解如果发生什么事该怎么做，并在发生袭击时保持冷静，互相帮助，不让恐惧或仇恨分裂社会。

黄循财总理表示，新加坡人看到不当行为时需要挺身而出，而不是袖手旁观。

这包括不要想当然地认为其他人会处理在公共场所发现的无人认领的包，或者忽视被网上极端主义内容吸引的朋友或家人。

“需要明确的是，我们不希望新加坡人生活在恐惧之中，也不希望他们对周围的每个人都充满怀疑。我们希望继续充满信心和安心地生活。”

“但只有保持警惕、做好准备，并在发现不对劲的地方采取明智的行动，我们才能做到这一点，”他说道，并补充说，正因如此，SGSecure 仍然非常重要。

黄循财总理赞扬了迄今为止取得的进展。他指出，现在更多的新加坡人知道在危机情况下应该怎么做，包括如何帮助处于困境中的人以及如何保护身边的人。

他表示，现在各个社区、工作场所、学校、宗教组织和社区组织都做好了更充分的准备来应对紧急情况。

黄循财总理表示：“我们已经在社会各界建立了更牢固的信任纽带。如果袭击是出于种族或宗教动机，这些纽带就显得尤为重要。”

他指出，在内部安全局拘留了这名 17 岁少年后，淡滨尼集选区社区响应圆桌会议迅速召集了宗教领袖。

“他们团结一致，传递了一个明确的信息：这种暴力极端主义意识形态不代表我们任何一个社区，也无法分裂我们。这才是我们需要的韧性，”他补充道。

黄总理发表上述言论之际，新加坡情报局发布了一份年度威胁评估报告，报告显示，中东持续不断的冲突加剧了新加坡面临的恐怖主义威胁。

9月10日的报告指出，冲突加剧了不同社群之间的敌对情绪，世界许多地区的反犹主义抬头。反穆斯林言论和伊斯兰恐惧症也愈演愈烈。

ISD表示，青少年激进化也是一个紧迫的问题，过去五年涉及年轻人的案件数量几乎翻了两番，从2017年至2021年的4起增加到2022年以来的15起。

在活动中，黄英贤总理参观了一个展览，该展览展示了新加坡人如何保持警惕，维护共和国的安全。

展览将于 9 月 23 日至 27 日在淡滨尼天地举行，其中包括一系列巨型充气模型，展示了新加坡的标志性人物，这些人物统称为“SGSecure Kakis”，每个模型都代表着一个特定的角色。

出席活动的还有内政部第二部长兼律政部长唐振辉，以及外交部兼内政部高级政务部长沈颖。

9 月 23 日，新加坡内政部发布公告称，正在试用一款人工智能驱动的 WhatsApp 聊天机器人，以帮助 SGSecure 的倡导者、志愿者和一线工作人员获取资源、指导，并在与公众互动的同时测试他们的知识。

其他即将推出的举措包括扩大 SGSecure 倡导者计划，该计划旨在培训社区成员分享有关识别威胁、保持安全和报告激进化迹象的信息。

该计划于 2024 年在高等教育机构进行试点，目前正在努力将其推广到学校、工作场所、宗教和其他社区组织。

SGSecure运动由时任总理李显龙发起，旨在了解不断变化的安全形势和新的威胁，并使他们具备在遭受攻击时做出反应的技能。

自 2016 年以来，已有超过 716,000 户家庭参与其中，该活动一直与社区保持互动。