By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 19 Jan 2016
More than 1.8 million cargo vehicles, such as lorries, crossed the land checkpoints last year (2015).
On average, about 5,000 such vehicles cross the checkpoints daily and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is expecting a higher volume during the lead-up to Chinese New Year.
Last year (2015), there were 990 detections of contraband and prohibited items, including drugs and contraband cigarettes smuggled via the cargo vehicles, down from about 1,290 the year before (2014).
"Despite stringent checks, smuggling attempts have not ceased. Checks are therefore critical and necessary," said Woodlands Command Deputy Commander, Superintendent Tan Kong Hui, in a meeting with the media on Tuesday (Jan 19), adding that there is a need to use technology to keep Singapore safe and secure.
Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are two of the busiest land crossings in the world, said the ICA. Currently, ICA has two fully operational labs to test for "unconventional threats" such as radiation, explosives and chemicals at Woodands and Tuas checkpoints, and it has plans to roll out such facilities at other checkpoints.
Officers have equipment to help them with the checks, and samples are also taken for analysis at the labs. Such tests take about one to three hours.
Supt Tan said: "Over the years, the lorries and trucks have become bigger. Now it's quite common to see 60-footers (or the length of five saloon cars). It poses a challenge to us because you can have 30 different kinds of goods in a lorry, you can't possibly (unpack) each and every box to check."
On average, about 5,000 such vehicles cross the checkpoints daily and the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) is expecting a higher volume during the lead-up to Chinese New Year.
Last year (2015), there were 990 detections of contraband and prohibited items, including drugs and contraband cigarettes smuggled via the cargo vehicles, down from about 1,290 the year before (2014).
"Despite stringent checks, smuggling attempts have not ceased. Checks are therefore critical and necessary," said Woodlands Command Deputy Commander, Superintendent Tan Kong Hui, in a meeting with the media on Tuesday (Jan 19), adding that there is a need to use technology to keep Singapore safe and secure.
Woodlands and Tuas checkpoints are two of the busiest land crossings in the world, said the ICA. Currently, ICA has two fully operational labs to test for "unconventional threats" such as radiation, explosives and chemicals at Woodands and Tuas checkpoints, and it has plans to roll out such facilities at other checkpoints.
Officers have equipment to help them with the checks, and samples are also taken for analysis at the labs. Such tests take about one to three hours.
Supt Tan said: "Over the years, the lorries and trucks have become bigger. Now it's quite common to see 60-footers (or the length of five saloon cars). It poses a challenge to us because you can have 30 different kinds of goods in a lorry, you can't possibly (unpack) each and every box to check."
On average, more than 70 lorries are screened a day by the lab specialists.
Explaining the importance of such screening, Supt Tan noted: "If we have a truck of construction materials which has a radiation reading of eight times of what is allowed, and it's used to construct buildings, people might be exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation.
"If nitrates in fertilisers are way past acceptable levels... they can also be made into explosives."
Sergeant Muhammad Nizam, 29, uses an "identifinder" to detect radiation on a Malaysia-registered truck carrying construction sand. Over 1.8 million cargo vehicles crossed Singapore's land checkpoints last year. str.sg/ZVmbVIDEO: LIM YI HAN
Posted by The Straits Times on Monday, January 18, 2016
Explaining the importance of such screening, Supt Tan noted: "If we have a truck of construction materials which has a radiation reading of eight times of what is allowed, and it's used to construct buildings, people might be exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation.
"If nitrates in fertilisers are way past acceptable levels... they can also be made into explosives."
Separately, two Malaysia-registered vehicles were also found to be carrying over 1,000 cartons of contraband cigarettes and around 19,000 satchets of chewing tobacco on Tuesday morning. The two drivers, whose details are not known yet, have been arrested.
Lab takes one to three hours to do analysis
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 20 Jan 2016
The Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has labs set up at both land checkpoints to test for hazardous chemical, biological, radiological and explosive agents in cargo vehicles.
Yesterday, ICA opened the doors of its chemistry lab, part of the Woodlands Analytical Laboratory, to the media for the first time. The $2.9 million chemistry lab, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, opened in 2013. More labs are being planned for other checkpoints, such as the ports.
Normally, sending a sample for analysis to another agency would take at least half a day but it takes between one and three hours for the lab to do the job.
Officers have access to equipment such as a handheld Sabre5000 system which can detect trace amounts of explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals or narcotics in about 20 seconds.
On average, more than 70 lorries are screened a day at each land checkpoint. ICA has trained more than 160 officers as "security sensitive materials specialists" to conduct checks.
Superintendent Tan Kong Hui, deputy commander of ground operations at Woodlands Checkpoint, said: "It's quite common to see 60-footers (lorries). It poses a challenge to us because you can have 30 different kinds of goods in a lorry, you can't possibly (unpack) each and every box to check.
"For unconventional threats, we are worried about what we can't see, what officers cannot use their hands or eyes to find."
By Lim Yi Han, The Straits Times, 20 Jan 2016
Yesterday, ICA opened the doors of its chemistry lab, part of the Woodlands Analytical Laboratory, to the media for the first time. The $2.9 million chemistry lab, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, opened in 2013. More labs are being planned for other checkpoints, such as the ports.
Normally, sending a sample for analysis to another agency would take at least half a day but it takes between one and three hours for the lab to do the job.
Officers have access to equipment such as a handheld Sabre5000 system which can detect trace amounts of explosives, chemical warfare agents, toxic industrial chemicals or narcotics in about 20 seconds.
On average, more than 70 lorries are screened a day at each land checkpoint. ICA has trained more than 160 officers as "security sensitive materials specialists" to conduct checks.
Superintendent Tan Kong Hui, deputy commander of ground operations at Woodlands Checkpoint, said: "It's quite common to see 60-footers (lorries). It poses a challenge to us because you can have 30 different kinds of goods in a lorry, you can't possibly (unpack) each and every box to check.
"For unconventional threats, we are worried about what we can't see, what officers cannot use their hands or eyes to find."
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