SINGAPORE: Buses passing through Tuas Checkpoint will soon undergo an X-ray scan as part of the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority’s (ICA) plans to implement “future-ready” checkpoints.
Two radiographic scanners have been installed at Tuas Checkpoint and will be in operation by the second half of this year, said ICA during a media briefing on Thursday (Apr 26).
The installation of the bus scanners is part of the Ministry of Home Affair’s plan to beef up its technological infrastructure, announced during Budget this year.
HOW IT WORKS
Buses coming into Tuas Checkpoint will first allow passengers to alight at a new disembarking area.
Bus drivers will then move their buses through an X-ray scanner which will make a detailed image of the vehicle instantly. However, the scan will exclude the driver’s area for safety reasons. ICA said that the radiation drivers will be exposed to is minimal and far less than the amount they could be subject to for body scans.
This image is relayed to an image analysis office and will be examined by officers for concealed contraband cigarettes, drugs, prohibited weapons or explosives.
Without the scanners, officers have to inspect the buses visually. This means that they have to lift open floorboards and look out for modified compartments.
“The buses are trying more and more ingenious ways to pack more and more cigarettes,” said Assistant Commissioner (AC) Colin Tan.
He added that these methods could also be used to conceal explosives.
“We want that assurance that whatever’s coming in is not an explosive-laden bus. When you have a bus that size and you’re able to pack in that amount of explosives, it can cause a major disruption,” he said.
The image analysis office where the officers will check for for concealed contraband cigarettes, among other things. (Photo: Fann Sim)
The bus lanes and scanning portals will be made free of officers. Officers who were previously in charge of boarding buses to do visual checks have been re-trained to perform X-ray image analysis. Each X-ray image is also tagged to a vehicle and stored, and can be used as intelligence to help officers in targeted checks.
Bus lanes at Tuas Checkpoint will also be expanded from two to four lanes, with two scanners that will each serve two lanes. Both scanners will be able to scan up to 1,000 buses a day, within the expected daily volume of buses.
While ICA declined to say whether the new security changes will result in a longer waiting period, AC Tan said that the bus scan will happen concurrently while passengers are passing through immigration clearance.
“So what we’re trying to do is that when possible, by the time the last passenger clears immigration, we want the bus to be waiting for the passenger at that point,” AC Tan said.
BAGGAGE CHECKS TO BE BROUGHT FORWARD BEFORE CUSTOMS CLEARANCE
ICA is also making changes to its passenger clearance process by bringing the baggage checks forward.
Passengers will have to go through security checks involving walk-through metal detectors and X-ray screening before clearing immigration. Currently, this step is being done after immigration clearance.
This will also be implemented by the second half of this year, said ICA.
ICA said that the change is for security reasons, one of which is to mitigate the impact of an armed attack.
“What we’ve done is we’ve put the screening up front so whoever goes through, at least we know with certainty … you are cleared. If he’s armed or he’s got a knife, we can contain it there,” Mr Tan said.
He added that deploying armed officers to guard the Tuas bus hall is challenging because of its size.
