November 20, 2018, 11:03 AM 
The Land Transport Authority (LTA) recently started the trial of the use of metal detectors and X-ray scanners at MRT stations.
While LTA has said that most people won't experience delays, commuters who were randomly picked to go through the "enhanced screening" were mixed in their reactions. Some called it a "waste of my time" and "very tedious", while others accepted that the random checks made Singapore more secure.
Hence, Member of Parliament (MP) for Tampines GRC Desmond Choo posed the following questions to the Minister for Transport:
- How will the Ministry minimise inconvenience and delays to commuters;
- How the preparedness of transport operators be further improved in the face of security threats.
Khaw Boon Wan: Need balance between public safety and efficiency
In a written response, Minister Khaw Boon Wan said that the trial is needed to "fine-tune the security operations" for Singapore's public transport systems as it has "expanded significantly".
Our MRT network sees more than 3 million rides daily.
According to Khaw, it is a "soft target for perpetrators who wish to do us harm".
Security screening equipment at Bukit Panjang MRT station. Image by Joshua Lee.
Confirming that security screenings will lengthen travel time, Khaw said that there has to be a balance between public safety and efficiency.
He assured that screening time will be kept to a minimum as commuters become more familiar with the process. At the same time, Khaw said that the authorities are mindful of the needs of commuters and are minimising inconveniences:
"We have chosen to start the trial over the year-end holiday period so that affected commuters can be sensitised to it before the start of the new year. We are also mindful that there are various groups of commuters whom we need to pay special attention to, including students sitting for their GCE ‘A’ Level examinations, so that help can be rendered if necessary."
Aside from security screenings at stations, LTA and public transport operators conduct regular security and emergency exercises. Two were conducted earlier this year - Newton MRT station and Holland Village MRT station. A third one will be conducted at Hougang MRT station in December.
According to Khaw, these exercises test our preparedness and response against security threats:
"Such exercises are crucial to ensure the security preparedness of our PTOs and relevant agencies, and to help commuters familiarise with security protocols in the event of heightened security."
The enhanced security screening trial will end in May 2019.
Top image by Tan Guan Zhen.
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