Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether there are plans to expand the scope of the myResponder app to also include alerts for HDB fires and missing persons with disabilities, such as elderly persons with dementia or children with autism, to facilitate community-assisted response.

Mr K Shanmugam: The myResponder app alerts Community First Responders (CFRs) to nearby minor fires and medical cases. 

Missing person cases are very different in nature and require different capabilities. The Police already have an established process to locate missing persons, including appealing for information from the public where appropriate. Such appeals are published through various channels, including social media. There are therefore currently no plans to expand the myResponder app to include appeals for information from the public on missing persons.

Link to Hansard: Link

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry has conducted an assessment to align penalties for possessing manufacturing equipment under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1973 with those under the Guns, Explosive and Weapons Control Act 2021, which targets unauthorised possession of digital blueprints and major parts of firearms, to effectively combat domestic production of harmful drug-delivery systems.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) criminalises the manufacture, supply, possession, import and export of equipment, materials or substances used for manufacturing controlled drugs. We do not criminalise the manufacturing of drug delivery systems, since paraphernalia that are misused for drug abuse could have legitimate uses. For example, syringes are used in medical settings.

We assess that the current provisions are adequate and it is not necessary to align the penalties between the MDA and the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021.

Link to Hansard: Link

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will review and increase penalties and powers of seizure for the unauthorised possession or manufacture of equipment, including tools like 3D printers, specifically designed or adapted for the illegal mixing of controlled substances into vapes, even if the tools themselves are free of controlled substances.

Mr K Shanmugam: Under section 10A of the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA), it is an offence to manufacture, supply, possess, import or export any equipment to be used to manufacture a controlled drug. Offenders can face imprisonment for up to 20 years or a fine of up to $200,000 or both. This is regardless of how the equipment is designed or how the controlled drugs are mixed.

Under section 24 of the MDA, Central Narcotics Bureau officers are empowered to seize any item, including equipment and tools, that are used to commit an MDA offence, or if they contain or constitute evidence of such an offence.

We assess that there is no need to review the penalties or powers of seizure, for now. 

Link to Hansard: Link

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs whether the Ministry will consider incorporating standard first aid and automated external defibrillator (AED) skills training, leading to certification, into the Secondary Four school syllabus, to equip students with life-saving abilities and promote emergency preparedness among youth.

Mr K Shanmugam: Upper primary and lower secondary students in Ministry of Education (MOE) schools are already being taught basic first aid skills, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and the use of automated external defibrillators as part of Physical Education lessons. Several uniformed group Co-Curricular Activities also incorporate such training in their programmes. MOE and the Singapore Civil Defence Force will regularly review the adequacy of these training.

Link to Hansard: Link

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each year between 2020 and 2025, how many traffic accidents occurred along Tanah Merah Coast Road and how many of these involved cyclists; (b) what are the primary causes of cyclist accidents and whether they are primarily due to heavy vehicle movements and road debris; and (c) what steps will the Ministry take in preventing accidents along this stretch of road.

Ms Sim Ann: Sir, between 2020 and 2025, there were on average around 20 accidents per year resulting in injuries or fatalities along Tanah Merah Coast Road, of which around nine accidents per year involved cyclists.

The primary causes of accidents involving cyclists along this road are: cycling in a disorderly manner, cyclists and motorists failing to keep a proper lookout, and cyclists and motorists failing to have proper control of their vehicle or mobility device.

The Traffic Police (TP) conduct regular enforcement at accident hotspots, including at Tanah Merah Coast Road. TP and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) also raise awareness of safe and gracious practices on our roads and pathways. For example, TP and LTA work closely with the Singapore Cycling Federation and the People's Association to engage the cycling community on cycling safety and disseminate guidelines on safe behaviour for motorists and cyclists.

File

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the average time taken by the Police to locate a missing person; (b) in 2024 and 2025, what proportion of these cases were resolved through public information prompted by social media appeals; and (c) in what proportion of the cases have the Police engaged online service providers to track digital footprints for activity or locations to assist in recovery.

Mr K Shanmugam: The Police do not track the time taken to locate a missing person. This can vary significantly from case to case. When the Police receive a missing person report, investigations will be launched to locate the person. The Police will accord priority to vulnerable missing persons, including young children, elderly persons, and persons with intellectual disabilities. Typically, the large majority of vulnerable missing persons are found within the day.

The Police will pursue all available leads to locate the missing person, which may include working with online service providers and publishing online appeals for information, with the consent of the family.

As investigations are dynamic and specific to each case, we do not track either the number of cases (i) resolved with the help of public information; or (ii) where online service providers were engaged.