Move over, Paw Patrol: S’pore preschoolers learn to run, hide and tell from a Police Pal guide

Juel Lee, 6, imitating the character Hammy who appears in the SGSecure edition of the "Police Pal" storybook series for preschoolers, titled "Run, Hide and Tell: An SGSecure Story" (bottom left) at MOE Kindergarten at West Spring on Oct 5.

ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

Published Oct 05, 2026, 02:56 PM

Updated Oct 05, 2026, 02:56 PM

Over 200 preschoolers in Bukit Panjang learned emergency preparedness at the SGSecure Carnival, focusing on the "Run, Hide and Tell" safety steps through interactive activities and a new storybook.

Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann launched the SGSecure Police Pal storybook to teach children how to respond to suspicious situations and encouraged parents to reinforce these lessons at home.

PM Lawrence Wong highlighted rising youth radicalisation and terrorism threats, urging vigilance despite Singapore's peaceful environment, citing recent regional attacks and ISD reports on growing security risks.

SINGAPORE – An SGSecure Police Pal storybook was launched on Oct 5 to teach preschoolers what to do if they spot a suspicious stranger or item.

Titled Run, Hide and Tell: An SGSecure Story, the book uses animal characters to teach young children the importance of staying alert, moving away from danger and seeking help from a trusted adult.

It was launched by Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann during an SGSecure Carnival at MOE Kindergarten @ West Spring in Bukit Panjang.

She read the storybook to a class of Kindergarten 2 students, and joined over 200 preschoolers, teachers, and police officers in emergency-themed activities and colouring sessions.

The book, produced jointly by the Singapore Police Force and the SGSecure Programme Office, is the final installment in the Police Pal series first rolled out in 2024 for children aged four to six.

Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann reading "Run, Hide and Tell: An SGSecure Story" to a class of preschoolers at MOE Kindergarten at West Spring on Oct 5. ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH

Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann reading "Run, Hide and Tell: An SGSecure Story" to a class of preschoolers at MOE Kindergarten at West Spring on Oct 5.

The minister said: “Through the SGSecure-themed Police Pal storybook, we hope to show our children how to respond when they see something or someone suspicious.

“Even at a young age, our children can learn steps like “Run, Hide, Tell” to stay safe and seek help when needed. We hope parents can reinforce these lessons at home, so that preparedness becomes a habit from young.”

The kindergarten’s centre head Rico Chan said that the preschoolers easily understood the concept of a stranger carrying a suspicious item into school and know they should run away.

“I think a lot of times it’s about managing them and telling them that the teachers are there with them...(and) it’s also important to remain orderly and listen to the instructions,” Chan said.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong had said recently that many years of peace and security here may result in Singaporeans “letting their guard down”.

In a speech on Sept 23 to commemorate SGSecure’s 10th anniversary , he also said that the sense of safety in Singapore should not be taken for granted.

He noted reports of close calls involving the authorities stopping potential lone-wolf attacks just weeks prior to the planned attacks.

The self-radicalised individuals include a 17-year-old whom the Internal Security Department detained in 2024 while he was devising an attack at 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.

“What if one day, despite our best efforts, something gets through? No security system can give us a 100 per cent guarantee,” PM Wong said.

On Sept 10, 2026, ISD’s annual threat assessment report showed that the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East are contributing to the high terrorism threat facing Singapore.

The report noted that the conflicts have contributed to growing hostilities between communities. While anti-Semitism has surged in many parts of the world, so did anti-Muslim rhetoric and Islamophobia.

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

Since July 2025, six out of eight new ISA cases involved youths below 21

In the region, some schools have faced violent attacks over the past year.

On Aug 7, a 14-year-old student in Thailand killed seven people including teachers, and injured 23 others in a shooting rampage at a school near Bangkok. He later took his own life.

In the southern Philippines, a Sept 18 high school shooting left three students dead and eight injured, marking the country’s third school attack in under three months .

In Jakarta, over 90 people were injured on Nov 7, 2025, after a 17-year-old student detonated explosives at a high school mosque during Friday prayers. The suspect, a 17-year-old male student, was injured .

Cover of the Police Pal book called “Ack! Furtropolis is Under Attack!”. PHOTO: MOE KINDERGARTEN @ WEST SPRING

Cover of the Police Pal book called “Ack! Furtropolis is Under Attack!”.

PHOTO: MOE KINDERGARTEN @ WEST SPRING

At the SGSecure Carnival, parent Chua Mei Ling said the book was helpful in explaining national security and threats to a child.

“The book is very easy to understand... I don’t think (national security and emergency preparedness) is a topic I can (easily) raise with my kid,” said Chua, 39.

Her daughter Juel Lee, 6, had no problem explaining the book to reporters. She said a “bad guy” in the book had tried to harm the school.

She added: “We have to learn how to protect ourselves (because) we want to survive.”

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof is senior crime correspondent at The Straits Times.

Ministry of Home Affairs

10 月 5 日，6 岁的 Juel Lee 在西泉教育幼儿园模仿 SGSecure 版“警察伙伴”学前故事书系列中的角色 Hammy，该故事书名为“跑、躲、说：SGSecure 故事”（左下角）。

《海峡时报》摄影：JASON QUAH

扎伊汉·穆罕默德·优素福

发布于 2026 年 10 月 5 日下午 2:56

更新于2026年10月5日下午2:56

在 SGSecure 嘉年华上，武吉班让的 200 多名学龄前儿童学习了应急准备知识，重点是通过互动活动和一本新的故事书学习“跑、躲、说”安全步骤。

新加坡内政部第二部长沈颖推出了《SGSecure 警察伙伴》故事书，旨在教导孩子们如何应对可疑情况，并鼓励家长在家中强化这些课程。

黄循财总理强调了青年激进化和恐怖主义威胁的加剧，敦促人们尽管新加坡环境和平，仍需保持警惕。他援引了近期发生的区域袭击事件以及情报安全局关于安全风险日益增长的报告。

新加坡——10月5日，SGSecure推出了一本名为《警察伙伴》的故事书，旨在教导学龄前儿童如果发现可疑的陌生人或物品该怎么办。

这本书名为《跑、躲、说：SGSecure 的故事》，它以动物角色为主角，教导幼儿保持警惕、远离危险以及向值得信赖的成年人寻求帮助的重要性。

该项目由内政部第二部长沈颖在武吉班让西泉教育幼儿园举办的SGSecure嘉年华上启动。

她给幼儿园二年级的学生们朗读了故事书，并与 200 多名学龄前儿童、教师和警察一起参加了以紧急情况为主题的活动和涂色活动。

本书由新加坡警察部队和 SGSecure 项目办公室联合制作，是面向 4 至 6 岁儿童的“警察伙伴”系列丛书的最后一册，该系列丛书于 2024 年首次推出。

10月5日，内政部第二部长沈颖在西泉教育部幼儿园为一群学前儿童朗读《跑、躲、说：新加坡安全故事》。海峡时报摄影：JASON QUAH

10月5日，内政部第二部长沈颖在西泉教育部幼儿园为一群学龄前儿童朗读《跑、躲、说：新加坡安全故事》。

部长表示：“我们希望通过以SGSecure为主题的《警察伙伴》故事书，向孩子们展示当他们看到可疑的人或事时应该如何应对。”

“即使是年幼的孩子，也可以学习‘跑、躲、报’等安全步骤，以便在需要时寻求帮助。我们希望家长们能在家中强化这些知识，让孩子们从小养成未雨绸缪的习惯。”

幼儿园中心主任陈瑞科表示，学龄前儿童很容易理解陌生人携带可疑物品进入学校的概念，并且知道他们应该逃跑。

“我认为很多时候，关键在于如何管理他们，告诉他们老师会一直陪伴着他们……（而且）保持秩序、听从指示也很重要，”陈老师说。

新加坡总理黄循财最近表示，多年的和平与安全可能会导致新加坡人“放松警惕”。

在9月23日为纪念SGSecure成立10周年而发表的讲话中，他还表示，不应将新加坡的安全感视为理所当然。

他指出，有报道称，就在计划发动袭击的几周前，当局曾多次阻止潜在的独狼式袭击，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，他在 2024 年被内部安全部门拘留，当时他正在策划袭击淡滨尼西民众俱乐部附近的邻里中心。

“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。”

黄循财总理说：“如果有一天，尽管我们尽了最大努力，还是有东西突破了防线怎么办？没有任何安全系统能给我们百分之百的保证。”

2026 年 9 月 10 日，ISD 的年度威胁评估报告显示，中东持续不断的冲突加剧了新加坡面临的恐怖主义威胁。

报告指出，这些冲突加剧了不同群体之间的敌意。虽然反犹主义在世界许多地方抬头，但反穆斯林言论和伊斯兰恐惧症也同样抬头。

ISD表示，青少年激进化也是一个紧迫的问题，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年的15起。

自2025年7月以来，八起新的ISA案件中有六起涉及21岁以下的青少年。

过去一年，该地区的一些学校遭遇了暴力袭击。

8月7日，泰国一名14岁学生在曼谷附近一所学校枪击案中，造成包括教师在内的7人死亡，23人受伤。随后，他自杀身亡。

9 月 18 日，菲律宾南部一所高中发生枪击事件，造成 3 名学生死亡，8 名学生受伤。这是该国不到三个月内发生的第三起校园袭击事件。

2025年11月7日，雅加达发生一起爆炸事件，一名17岁学生在周五祈祷期间于一所高中清真寺引爆炸弹，造成90多人受伤。嫌疑人是一名17岁的男学生，他本人也受了伤。

《警察伙伴》系列绘本封面，名为“哎呀！福特罗波利斯遭到攻击！”。照片：西泉莫伊幼儿园

《警察伙伴》系列丛书的封面，名为“啊！福特罗波利斯遭到攻击！”。

照片：西泉MOE幼儿园

在SGSecure嘉年华上，家长蔡美玲表示，这本书有助于向孩子解释国家安全和威胁。

“这本书很容易理解……我不认为（国家安全和应急准备）是一个我可以（轻易地）和我的孩子谈论的话题，”39岁的蔡女士说。

她6岁的女儿朱尔·李（Juel Lee）向记者们解释这本书的内容毫无障碍。她说，书中的“坏人”试图伤害学校。

她补充说：“我们必须学会保护自己，因为我们想要生存下去。”

Zaihan Mohamed Yusof 是《海峡时报》的高级犯罪记者。

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