Home Team officers in action

Home Team officers played an essential role in the historic DPRK-USA Singapore Summit, from ensuring the safe passage of world leaders and international guests to securing our borders as well as key Summit venues. Here are some of our officers’ stories.

Singapore played host to a historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on 12 June 2018.

Home Team officers played a crucial part in organising the Summit and ensuring its security. Despite short notice and the complexities of such a multi-layered security operation, our officers were focused, determined and resourceful. For many, their Summit duties were simply an extension of what they do every day — keeping Singapore safe and secure.

From planning and securing the grounds to being on standby and reinforcing our checkpoints, our Home Team officers share their experiences of the Summit.

IN THE HEART OF THE OPERATION Captain Jonathan Yuen Ze Ming, 30 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

“I’m a senior staff officer in the Operations Department of the SCDF. On a day-to-day basis, I help to manage the SCDF’s involvement in contingency situations. The Summit was just one of major events that I’ve been involved since I joined the Operations Department.

“During the Summit, I was deployed as an operations officer at the Home Team Event Command Post (HTECP). My job was to monitor the movement of SCDF’s resources that were on standby on the ground, and to ensure that our contingency plans were carried out accordingly in response to any incident.

I also helped to channel information from the HTECP to our ground forces, and vice versa.

“There was a great sense of team spirit and determination within the HTECP. It felt great to contribute to such a historic event, especially when you’d been part of the planning with other Home Team officers from the very start. It’s gratifying to see everything fall into place.”

TEAM SG IN ACTION Inspector Reshma Nair, 33 Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA)

“As a staff officer (ground operations) with ICA Airport Command, my day-today role involves coordinating operations across the airport community to ensure effective and efficient immigration clearance for travellers using Changi Airport. This involves working with many different stakeholders to ensure that our travellers have a great Changi experience.

“I felt honoured to play a small part in this special event for world peace. During the Summit, I was part of the Secretariat Team at Airport Command which coordinated the immigration clearance process for delegates from the US and DPRK. We worked with officers from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore to ensure that the processes went smoothly.

“I feel proud to represent the Home Team in coordinating these efforts. The Summit gave us the opportunity to show our resilience and creativity in resolving issues. This made us more responsive to changes in the dynamic environment that the Home Team operates in.”

ON THE GROUND: SECURING SENTOSA Inspector 2 Chua Xin Yi, 28 Singapore Police Force (SPF)

“I’m a team leader at Bukit Merah West Neighbourhood Police Centre. As a team leader, I manage a team of 24 officers who respond to 999 calls on a daily basis. We also handle any public order and security situations that arise within our jurisdiction.

“During the Summit, I was a Sector IC based at Capella Singapore on Sentosa. My team was responsible for managing the access points of the hotel, and it was our job to ensure the security of the delegates and principals who used these points.

“We were well-prepared for the deployment and were excited and glad to do our part in this historic process. I’m grateful to serve and I think I learnt a lot from the whole experience.

“We were very focused on what we had to do. On a few occasions, I did have the opportunity to interact with the American and North Korean officials, and shared with them about Singapore’s attractions. They were interested in learning where to find the best chilli crab and satay, so I told them some places to check out!”

EMERGENCY TEAMS READY TO RESPOND Warrant Officer 1 Sharifah Muslimah Lili Binte Ahmad Nassir, 36 Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

“I’m a paramedic by vocation. In my daily duties, I serve as an Emergency Medical Services (EMS) OIC based at Paya Lebar Fire Station where I oversee operational matters such as deployment, logistics and training.

“This was the first time I’d been deployed for such a prolonged standby. During the Summit, I was stationed at the St Regis Singapore, where the North Korean delegates stayed during their time in Singapore. Our responsibility was to provide medical assistance in the event of an emergency. Other EMS teams were deployed to attend to non-contingency incidents within the same area.

“I learnt to stay alert by pacing myself, so that I can respond quickly, regardless of the time of situation. We knew our roles very well and I feel proud to play my part. It’s really exhilarating to contribute to ensuring the success of the Summit.”

FORGING A NEW CONNECTION Inspector (NS) Gim Joo Hyung, 25 Singapore Police Force (SPF)

Before the DPRK-USA Singapore Summit, the extent of Inspector (Insp) NS Gim Joo Hyung’s experience as a translator had been “describing K-dramas and variety shows” to his friends.

Now, not only has the 25-yearold undergraduate sharpened his proficiency in Korean, he also received invitations to visit North Korea’s capital of Pyongyang to eat naengmyeon or cold noodles, a popular local dish.

It all started a week before the Summit, when the Police Coast Guard National Serviceman received a call from his reservist unit. He was recalled to serve as a translator for the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

Despite being a native Korean speaker, Insp (NS) Gim still found it a challenge. “It’s like Teochew and Hokkien; the North and South versions of Korean are very similar — almost 99 percent similar — except for the accent, and the fact that North Koreans speak faster,” he said. “Also, some words that South Koreans don’t use much, North Koreans use more commonly, like ‘comrade.’ Then, there were the more technical words that we don’t really use in daily life. I didn’t know how to say ‘convoy’, or reference each car in a convoy, for example.”

Insp (NS) Gim eventually figured these out by consulting his Korean mother and speaking with North Koreans delegates from an advance party who were “very surprised” to find out Insp (NS) Gim could speak fluent Korean. When asked, he shared his heritage, “And they were cool about it.”

Insp (NS) Gim’s job was to facilitate discussions between SPF officers and the North Korean delegates. “If there’s a language barrier and no one is there to facilitate, misunderstandings can arise,” he said. “But once our team was there, everything could be worked out.”

The Summit also gave Insp (NS) Gim an opportunity to realise that the common perceptions of North Koreans were different from what he had experienced. “The delegates that I spoke to were very nice.” He recalled. “After the Summit, they thanked us, and showed their appreciation for our efforts as hosts.”

Then came an unexpected invitation. “They shook my hand, thanked me and invited me to Pyongyang to eat

naengmyeon,” he said. “So, if the SPF has a reason to visit North Korea, I’d gladly go if needed.”

READY BY FIRST LIGHT Warrant Officer 1 Zulkasy Bin Yunos Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)

For Warrant Officer 1 (WO1) Zulkasy Bin Yunos, an Emergency Medical Technician from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), the Summit was a showcase of the Home Team spirit.

While there were trying times, especially for WO1 Zulkasy as the Summit fell during the fasting month of Ramadan, the deployment was an unforgettable one, not least because it allowed him to catch a glimpse of President Donald Trump.

WO1 Zulkasy was part of a Fire Medical Vehicle crew that was attached to the President’s convoy, which stretched over 30 vehicles. That meant early morning starts and a 24-hour standby duty.

WO1 Zulkasy ate his pre-dawn meal before reporting for duty. “It was tough, especially at 12 p.m., when the sun was really hot,” he recalled. “We only had our own vehicles for shelter, and we endured it because that’s what we’re trained to do during standby.”

Duty came first for WO1 Zulkasy and his fellow officers, and team spirit was the order of the day. “As a first responder, such operations can be a challenge, but we’re trained for this,” he recounted.

Recalling the excitement of the Summit, what stood out for WO1 Zulkasy was the commitment of the officers on duty. “The coordination between all our Home Team counterparts was fantastic,” he said. “Even though this was a last-minute assignment, as one Home Team, we really worked together.”