Ensuring safety at countdown event
Police will deploy 700 officers, unmanned aerial vehicle and robot
About 700 officers from the Central and Jurong Police Divisions, Traffic Police, Public Transport Security Command, and Police Coast Guard will be deployed at the Marina Bay Singapore Countdown 2020 to ensure the safety and security of the public, and to manage crowds at various locations.
The police will also be deploying an improved version of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as well as its multi-purpose all terrain autonomous robot (Matar) 3.0.
The robot, which was used for the first time in this year's National Day Parade, will be stationed at the Helix Bridge.
The robot is outfitted with an extendable pan-tilt zoom camera that provides video coverage up to a height of 2m, to achieve better situation awareness and for remote observations of anomalous activities.
As for the UAVs, they will be equipped with blinkers, search lights and audio warning systems with pre-recorded messages.
This year's improvement to the device sees extended flight time and possible live messages from police instead of just the pre-recorded ones.
According to police, the robot and UAV are tools to better manage the crowd, to achieve better surveillance, and an additional tool for officers to make important announcements to the public during crowd dispersal.
The police are also engaging private-hire vehicle companies to ensure that they are aware of the road closures and diversion during the country's largest countdown event.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gregory Tan said: "There are many factors that go into our security planning, the infrastructure, the events happening and the amount of people coming down. It is important that we manage the crowd well."
The public is advised to cooperate with police and security personnel during random checks.
The police would also like to remind the public to remain vigilant and adopt crime prevention measures such as looking after belongings, staying close with friends, and avoiding contact with unruly crowds.
To prevent overcrowding, police officers and auxiliary police officers will be regulating the number of people entering The Promontory, Merlion Park, Esplanade Park, Esplanade Waterfront Promenade, Marina Bay Sands Promenade and other areas within the vicinity of Marina Bay.
In the event of overcrowding, certain exits of MRT stations around Marina Bay may be closed and the crowd will be diverted to other areas.
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