ASSESSING TERRORISM PREPAREDNESS OF BUILT FACILITIES IN SINGAPORE - AN EXPLORATION STUDY

Abstract

“It is the matter of when, not if” warned the government of Singapore on terrorism. Terrorism is no longer a distant threat. Terrorism activities are becoming increasingly serious in the South-East Asia region and the region was labelled as the “second front” for the war against terror (Tan, 2006). Singapore being part of the region will always be a high value target due to its strong counter-terrorism efforts and close relationship with the United States (Febrica, 2010). The attacks in Paris on 13 November 2015 and in Jakarta on 14 January 2016 indicated that the target interest for terrorism attacks has widened from “hard” building targets to “soft” building targets (MHA, 2016). Hence, there is a possibility of any buildings being a target for attacks. The ever-changing terrorism tactics makes it hard to predict where and how the attack will take place, highlighting the need for a comprehensive preparation plan. The purpose of this exploration research is to assess the terrorism preparedness of built facilities in Singapore. To achieve this, a survey was conducted with facilities management professionals to identify the terrorism preparedness of the built facilities in Singapore. Subsequent to this, case study interviews with professionals were conducted to investigate the motivating factors and challenges faced by the industry to achieve preparedness. The study revealed that the industry was not prepared for terrorism. It was identified that the terrorism preparedness were not aligned with the risk profile of the buildings. The causes identified for low preparedness were due to budgetary constraints, misrepresentation of risk assessment, complacency mind-set, profit-driven management, low commitment of stakeholders, lacking of security management professionals and misconception of facilities managers’ job scope. This research provides a broad perspective on the terrorism preparedness of the built facilities industry and highlighted the problems faced in the industry. This study provides a basis for researchers and governmental agencies to formulate strategies in improving the industry’s preparedness against terrorism.