POV: We followed the police & SAF on an overnight bomb sweep of National Stadium for Pope Francis' mass

Maybe it's because it's two in the morning.

Or maybe it's the uncanniness of standing in an almost-empty National Stadium.

But there is a sort of quiet reverence in the air.

We followed some of the men and women from the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Singapore Police Force who were tasked to conduct a bomb sweep of the area prior to Pope Francis's arrival.

The pope will be presiding over  mass at the National Stadium in the afternoon on Sep. 12.

The media were invited to follow along as officers and members from the Police Security Command and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Explosive (CBRE) Defence Group conducted their checks.

The SAF CBRE teams consisted of a mix of national servicemen and regulars, while the police unit consisted of only regulars.

Catwalk search

The media were first led to the sixth floor of the stadium to observe officers conducting a catwalk search.

Noticed the beams arching over the roof of the stadium? People can get up there and walk along the arches.

Officers conducted searches on each beam, checking for any bulky or suspicious items which might be placed up there.

Inner ring search

The media were next led under the stadium to the inner ring.

Several CBRE officers scanned boxes carrying cartons of drinking water, presumably to be distributed during the mass.

Other officers conducted searches along the steel trusses along the ceiling with a flashlight and extendable mirror.

Officers then checked the chiller room, which was filled with large water pipes that channel water for the stadium's air-conditioning.

We were also introduced to 5-year-old Kia, a bomb-sniffing military dog.

Front-of-house

Lastly, we were ushered to the front podium, where Pope Francis will eventually be presiding over mass.

The first few rows of seats were reserved for people such as Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, along with various ministers and senior heads of state.

All in a day's work to welcome a very important man.

All photos via Andrew Koay