Parliament: Surveillance cameras will be pre-installed in new HDB blocks after 2016

SINGAPORE - New blocks of Housing Board flats built after end-2016 will come with surveillance cameras already installed, Second Minister for Home Affairs and Trade and Industry S. Iswaran said on Tuesday.

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The following is an excerpt of Mr Iswaran's oral reply to questions regarding the installation of CCTVs at housing estates, asked by Ms Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) in Parliament today:

As part of the Community Policing System (COPS), Police will install cameras at all 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks (MSCPs) by 2016. These include both existing HDB blocks and new HDB blocks that will be completed by 2016. The installation programme is on track and we are currently at the one-third mark, having installed 18,000 cameras in 3,300 blocks. I would like to thank Members for their support of the installation of Police Cameras at their respective wards.

Police considers a variety of factors such as local crime trends, community feedback and Town Council recommendations when deciding on the installation schedule, whether for existing or newly built HDB blocks. To expedite installation in new HDB blocks, Police has worked with HDB to incorporate Police Camera requirements into the design.

Police also works closely with the HDB to enhance the safety and security of housing estates. Police crime prevention advisories are featured on the HDB website and publications to raise residents' crime awareness and vigilance. HDB also takes Police security inputs into account when carrying out development or infrastructural works.