HOME Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng says home team spirit is more alive in such an adversity.

Singaporeans are united in the hunt for terrorist Mas Selamat, and the Home Team spirit is most alive in such an adversity, said Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng on Tuesday.

While he acknowledged that the escape of the Jemaah Islamiah militant has dented Singapore's reputation, he said the community's trust in the Home Team remains high.

The annual workshop gathers officers from the four Home Team sectors to review their operations and explore how they should go forward.

In his address, Mr Wong told the Home Team forces: 'The hunt for JI terrorist, Mas Selamat, is a matter of top priority. No doubt his escape has dented the reputation of the Home Team and Singapore. But in such an adversity, we have found the Home Team spirit most alive, and Singaporeans united in the hunt for Mas Selamat.'

He said every Home Team agency is on high alert today and is helping in any way it can. For example, CNB and SCDF officers have been assisting ICA officers in conducting vehicle checks at Tuas and Woodlands checkpoints.

SCDF's Polyma Lighting Units, used mainly to provide lighting for fire and rescue operations at night, are deployed to support Police in the night searches. CNB also lent their intelligence and investigation expertise and assistance to put their ears on the ground to pick up any leads.

Even as the minister spoke, a search team was combing the forested areas along Lornie Road on Tuesday, as the hunt for the JI fugitive enters the third week.

Home Team programmes put to test
Mr Wong said the hunt for Mas Selamat has also put to test various Home Team projects, in particular the Operational Terrain Mapping (OTM) programme, which has been developed over the last three years.

The mapping has built up a comprehensive database of terrains in every sector to help to tackle crime and terrorism.

'These efforts have helped our officers develop a deeper awareness and understanding of the ground terrain, its hotspots and vulnerabilities and to identify and establish contact with key people in the various local institutions like churches, temples and mosques within the sector,' said Mr Wong.

'The efforts that you have invested in collecting and developing this living OTM database, which maps the social and physical geography of the area under each sector, has paid off valuably in support of the current search efforts.'

'Our sector officers were able to identify 121 vacant or abandoned buildings within a day and the search against these sites was mounted expeditiously.'

'This swift response would not have been possible had we not already marked these buildings in our terrain maps. Another example was the location of cordons and road blocks.'

He added that as the search operations expanded islandwide in response to public calls, the officers were able to swiftly set up cordon lines and road blocks which were pre-identified in the terrain maps, and quickly lock in the search area.

The minister also highlighted the community outreach efforts to combat the terrorist threat.

These included merging SCDF and Police watch groups into what is now called Security and Safety Watch Groups, and the Community Engagement Programme. These efforts have the Home Team acquired a wide network of contacts.

'Your efforts at building more bridges to the various communities and to prepare them for a crisis have contributed to the rapid mobilisation of community support we have seen in this current situation,' said Mr Wong.

He commended the many groups and organisations which have stepped forward to help distribute more than 210,000 pamphlets on Mas Selamat.

'What was significant was that there was also considerable bottom-up mobilisation by various community organisations themselves.'

'These developments over the last two weeks give us comfort to know that the CEP orientation of Home Team sector programmes we have been pursuing have paid dividends in this real time of need,' added the Minister.

'The unity of focus in the response of our people inside and outside the MHA Home Team over this escape episode, gives me hope that we are making good progress to achieve an extended or national Home Team.'

'Such a Home Team plus comes of age when all who calls Singapore home, feel they have a stake in the safety and security of the country and of fellow Singaporeans.'