ISE05/17-18

• The number of global terrorist attacks has increased at an average annual rate of 11% amidst volatility over the past five years, with a total of 22 500 such incidents causing 18 500 deaths in 2017.^{1Legend symbol denoting The annual estimate of terrorist attacks was made by Jane's Terrorism and Insurgency Center.} While most of the terrorist attacks occurred in Middle East, some took place in Asia such as the bombing of the Erawan Shrine in Bangkok leading to severe casualties in 2015.^{2Legend symbol denoting On 17 August 2015, the bombing in Bangkok killed 20 people including two visitors from Hong Kong. More than 100 people were injured too. Subsequent investigation found two suspects allegedly planted a bomb near the Erawan Shrine.} In counter-terrorism ("CT"), while global police authorities have become more vigilant over the rise of "lone-wolf" attacks like street stabbing and car-ramming, there is increased attention paid to getting the general public prepared for the terrorism.

• Although Hong Kong is the ninth safest city in the world^{3Legend symbol denoting The ranking is based on a comparative study on different safety aspects of 60 cities by the Economist Intelligence Unit in 2017.} and has not suffered from any terrorist attack, the Government stays alert of the threats. In 2018-2019, the Government has allocated HK$265 million for additional CT efforts, setting up a new Inter-Departmental Counter-Terrorism Unit with 43 members from different law enforcement agencies led by the Police. However, Members have expressed concerns over whether the public is well-prepared in the event of terrorist attacks.^{4Legend symbol denoting At the meeting of Panel on Security on 6 June 2017, Members raised concerns over what the public should do in a terrorist attack or in a suspected bomb threat incident like the one at Ocean Terminal in May 2017. Members were concerned how publicity and education materials related to terrorist attacks could be disseminated in a more effective and interesting manner.}

• In Singapore, the government has launched a nationwide CT campaign in 2016, taking a host of measures to educate its citizens and enhance public preparedness for terrorist attacks. This piece of Essentials briefly discusses such measures taken in Singapore, after a quick review of CT measures in Hong Kong.

Recent developments of counter-terrorism in Hong Kong

• Conceivably, public preparedness is considered to be important in the fight against terrorism. First, it can manage public expectation before terrorist attacks. As terrorist are waging psychological warfare to instil a sense of fear in the community, citizens tend to feel insecure about their government after attacks, and may have emotional racial or religious reactions.^{5Legend symbol denoting See Ganor (2002).} Public preparedness should help mitigate irrational anxiety in the community after attacks. Secondly, public preparedness may help minimize causalities by providing citizens with practical advice and survival tips. For instance, running away from dangers is considered safer than just hiding in insecure places, while making risky phone calls amidst terrorist attacks should be avoided.^{6Legend symbol denoting One of the mostly cited advice is "Run Hide Tell". According to a study by Professor Larry Barton from the University of Central Florida which analysed 61 deadly attacks between 2006 and 2016, it was found that 73% of people chose to run and they suffered no or very minor injuries, compared to 20% people who chose to hide but one third of them were injured. In another poll under the terrorism research project funded by the European Union, it was found that those who had read the guidance on "Run Hide Tell" were much less likely to make risky phone calls during an attack. See Parker (2017).} As such, global authorities are stepping up efforts to educate the public how to adapt to and respond in terrorist attacks.^{7Legend symbol denoting Public education measures to enhance public preparedness are also adopted in other places. In the United States, for example, the New York City has "Ready New York" public education campaign which covers a wide range of hazards including but not limited to terrorist attacks. In the UK, apart from the well-publicized "Run Hide Tell" advice for the general public, local police forces also run programmes targeting business sectors from retail to hotels to help them prepare for terrorist attacks.}

• In Hong Kong, the threat of terrorist attacks is currently assessed to be "moderate" on a three-level scale, meaning that there is a possibility of attack though there is no specific intelligence suggesting that the city is a likely target.^{8Legend symbol denoting In Hong Kong, threats of terrorist attacks are categorized into three levels, namely "high", "moderate" and "low". A "high" threat level means that there is a possibility of attack, and there is specific intelligence suggesting that Hong Kong is likely to be a target. A "moderate" threat level means that there is a possibility of attack, but there is no specific intelligence suggesting that Hong Kong is likely to be a target. A "low" threat level means that the possibility of attack is low, and there is no specific intelligence of terrorist attacks. In cases of visits made by foreign national leaders, the threat level of attacks would be upgraded to "high" level.} The Police has accorded CT a high operational priority in recent years, formulating a four-pronged strategy comprising (a) prevention of terrorist activities based on intelligence gathered; (b) preparedness in terms of conducting drills and training to ensure the emergency and support service personnel are well prepared; (c) response through action plans to tackle and investigate terrorist activities; and (d) recovery of social order and public confidence as soon as possible in the event of terrorist attacks. Public preparedness appears to be not a key component in the CT strategy.

• During 2013-2017, the Police has conducted a total of 333 CT and major incident contingency exercises, mostly joint exercises across departments. Some 21 large scale CT drills were conducted in public venues such as MTR stations and Hong Kong Coliseum in 2017. However, most of these drills aimed to test the effectiveness of coordination among disciplinary forces and relevant entities in handling terrorist attacks, with limited community involvement and little effect in enhancing public preparedness for terrorist attacks.^{9Legend symbol denoting About 100 Junior and Senior Police Call members took part in an anti-terror drill involving 500 government officers on 12 December 2017 at Hong Kong Coliseum. It was reported that the drill was the first exercise engaging the public.}

• More specifically on public preparedness, the Government has rolled out the following standard publicity and education initiatives:
  
  

  (a)	Publicity booklets: Since March 2003, the Security Bureau issued the Safe Harbour booklet and uploaded it onto its website, advising the public to stay alert of suspicious objects and how to protect oneself in incidents such as bomb explosion or fire. It also offers simple advice on essential first aid and safety tips in the event of chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear attacks;
  (b)	"Run Hide Report" advice: In September 2017, the Police rolled out a new instruction guide, offering practical tips to the public what to or not to do during an terrorist attack. The public is advised to run away from danger and do not take pictures, hide themselves in safe places, and then tell the police about what has happened;10Legend symbol denoting The French government issued a "Flee Hide Alert" poster three weeks after the Paris attack in November 2015. The UK counter-terrorism police also issued "Run Hide Tell" advice in December 2015, replacing the previous "Stay Calm and Carry On" advice. The United States adopts a slightly different version in which "Tell" is replaced with "Fight". This is the advice for people having no place to hide from an imminent attack or they stand a chance to overcome the terrorist. and
  (c)	Mobile application: Launched by the Security Bureau in March 2016, the mobile app Safeguard HK provides instant updates on major emergencies and a broad range of personal safety tips for Hong Kong residents like outbound travel alert. As at end-February 2018, there were 120 000 downloads of the app.

Measures to enhance public preparedness for terrorist attacks in Singapore

• Singapore has not experienced any major terrorist attacks so far,^{11Legend symbol denoting There were two terrorist incidents in Singapore in the past. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and Japanese Red Army hijacked the Laju ferry on 31 January 1974, while in March 1991 Pakistani terrorists hijacked a Singapore Airlines plane landed in Singapore. There was no hostage casualty in both cases.} but it is considered as a likely attack target, partly due to its status as a global city and its participation with the Western allies in the fight against global terrorism. As a matter of fact, while there were occasional terrorist attacks in its neighbouring countries (e.g. Thailand and Indonesia) in recent years, it narrowly escaped a planned rocket attack against an iconic structure in Marina Bay upon the arrest of six militants located at Batam Island in Indonesia by the Indonesian authority in 2016.
• In recent years, the terrorist threat level in Singapore has remained at the highest level.^{12Legend symbol denoting In June 2017, the Singapore Ministry of Home Affairs released the first Singapore Terrorism Threat Assessment, which clearly stated that ISIS was the most serious threat to Singapore. Moreover, about 75% of Singaporeans believed it was only a matter of time before the country experienced a terror attack, according to a newspaper poll in 2017.} To prepare for a likely attack, the Singaporean government has boosted its CT capability by (a) upgrading the weapons of the police; (b) setting up a quick response team; and (c) installing extra 11 000 surveillance cameras nationwide in the next few years.
• At the same time, the Singaporean government has also launched a public campaign namely "SGSecure" in September 2016, with a sharpened focus on improving public preparedness for attacks, rather than just building public awareness about terrorism. Launched as a "national movement", SGSecure aims to mobilize participation of all Singaporeans. While the Ministry of Home Affairs takes the lead, it also receives support from the Ministries for manpower, education, and health.
• As regards the policy objectives, SGSecure aims to "sensitize, train and mobilize" the community to prevent and deal with terrorist attacks. First, it intends to promote public vigilance over suspicious behaviour or items; and knowledge over how to protect themselves when caught in an attack. Secondly, it intends to strengthen public cohesion, as racial and religious harmony is important for the country to stand together even in crisis. Thirdly, it intends to enhance public resilience, expediting the pace of recovery from an attack.
• More specifically on policy measures, SGSecure pools together knowledge and skills in different sectors of the community to respond to terrorist attacks through the following programmes:
  
  

  (a)	Live terror exercise in the community: Live exercises are held at the heart of local neighbourhoods such as popular food centre on "Emergency Preparedness Days" specially organized for local residents in each of all 89 districts in Singapore. Unlike conventional CT drills aiming to test the capability of different forces, these exercises allow residents to observe in person simulated terrorist attacks (e.g. knife or guns attacks or taking hostages). Local residents can also pick up life-saving skills in such events, such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation, improvised first aid, and the "Run Hide Tell" advice;
  (b)	Countrywide home visits: A 400-people Home Team was formed under the Ministry of Home Affairs in 2016, targetting to visit all of the one million households in Singapore. These visits aim to get at least one member of each household prepared and equipped with the relevant knowledge and skills to keep their families safe in case of terrorist attack;
  (c)	Training community leaders: Crisis response exercises are held to train community leaders in each district to respond to terrorist attacks with massive casualties on the one hand, and to manage potential communal tensions arising from racial or religious differences in the aftermath of an attack on the other. This is considered to be important to a multi-racial country like Singapore;
  (d)	Workplace and school engagement: Companies are encouraged to appoint SGSecure representatives and register them with the government. These representatives will be the point of contact of the companies with the authorities, and will receive regular CT information. The government targets to have 30 000 of such representatives and 20 000 companies with a prepared workforce and protected work places by 2020. Separately, while school visits, exhibitions and talks are held for students, drills on an intruder in the campus have been organized to help schools respond effectively to terrorist attacks on school premises. Reportedly, some of these drills involved lockdown procedures; 13Legend symbol denoting According to a media report, at least three schools conducted such lockdown procedure drills in 2017. In such drills, a secret code was relayed to the students and teachers about an intruder entering into the school campus. Classrooms would then be locked and teachers and students would hide under desks or couches and stay away from windows. and
  (e)	Mobile application and safety advice: The SGSecure app was launched in September 2016 as a one-stop portal for the public to receive alerts of major emergencies and send information to the emergency authorities. Users can key in the postal codes which will then show the emergencies in specific locations. There is also the "Run Hide Tell" advice disseminated via leaflets and online video.

• The community-based approach in public preparedness for terrorist attacks seems to have been well-received in Singapore. More than 50 Emergency Preparedness Days were organized in 2017, with reported participation of at least 1 000 citizens in some cases. While more than 300 000 home visits (i.e. equivalent to 30% of the target) have been already made by December 2017, there have been more than 1 million downloads of the mobile app of SGSecure.

Prepared by CHEUNG Chi-fai
Research Office
Information Services Division
Legislative Council Secretariat
3 May 2018