On 20/06/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 20/06/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 20/06/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 23/07/2009.
PART III
SPECIAL EVENTS SECURITY
20. In this Part, unless the context otherwise requires —
“approved person”, in relation to any power under section 22, 24, 27, 28 or 29, means any of the following persons approved by the Commissioner in writing to exercise such power under that provision at or in relation to a special event area specified in that approval:
(a)
any member of an auxiliary police force; or
(b)
any security officer who is employed by, or whose services are supplied to, the occupier of the special event area;
“entrant”, in relation to a special event area, means a person who is about to enter or is in the area;
“event organiser”, in relation to an event, means a person who is responsible (whether fully or substantially) for the organisation and holding of the event and the receipt of revenue from the event (if any);
“garment” includes a cloak, coat or shirt;
“hand-held scanner” means a device that may be passed over or around a person or a person’s personal property to detect metal, objects or other substances;
“occupier”, in relation to a special event area, includes the event organiser of the special event at that special event area;
“personal property”, in relation to a person, means things carried by the person or things apparently in the immediate control of the person, but does not include clothing being worn by the person;
“place” includes an area;
“prohibited item”, in relation to a special event, means such thing or animal that is stated to be a prohibited item in the notification in respect of the event under section 22;
“search” includes —
(a)
a search of a person conducted by quickly running the hands over the person’s outer garments; and
(b)
an examination of anything worn or carried by the person;
“statutory condition of entry”, in relation to a special event, means a condition that is stated in the notification concerning the event under section 22 to be a statutory condition of entry to the special event area;
“vehicle” includes an aircraft and a boat;
“X-ray machine” means a device through which a person’s belongings are passed and X-rayed.
21.
—(1) Subject to subsections (2) and (3), the Minister may declare an event to be a special event for the purposes of this Part.
(2) In deciding whether to make a declaration, the Minister shall have regard to —
(a)
the nature of the event;
(b)
the number and kind of people expected to attend the event;
(c)
Singapore’s obligations for holding the event; and
(d)
any other relevant matter.
(3) The Minister may make a declaration only if he is satisfied —
(a)
that the declaration is necessary for preserving public order and the safety of individuals involved in the event and other individuals and for the avoidance of disruptions to the event; and
(b)
that either —
(i)
there is a reasonable likelihood that the event may be disrupted if the powers in sections 24 to 30 are not exercised;
(ii)
the exercise of the powers is necessary because of the need to protect persons involved in or at the event;
(iii)
the exercise of the powers is required as a condition of holding the event in Singapore; or
(iv)
there is a reasonable likelihood that the event because of its nature might be at risk of an act of terrorism.
(4) A declaration under subsection (1) must —
(a)
contain a brief description of the event to which it applies, whether by means of a description, map or other document;
(b)
state the proposed time and date of the event or the proposed period in which the event is to take place, and the location of the special event area for the event;
(c)
state the period (not exceeding 3 years) for which the declaration is in force; and
(d)
be published in the Gazette.
(5) Once such a declaration is made, the Minister shall, within 7 days thereafter and before the date the declaration comes into force, cause to be published a notice of the making of the declaration, describing briefly the event and the special event area in such manner as will secure adequate publicity for the declaration.
(6) Failure to comply with subsection (5) in respect of any declaration shall not invalidate the declaration.
(7) Unless sooner revoked, a declaration shall expire on the date, and at the time (if any) stated in, or worked out in accordance with the declaration.
(8) At any time before a declaration comes into force, the Minister may amend the description of the location of the special event area to which the declaration applies by publishing the amendment in the Gazette; and notice of the amendment describing briefly the changes therein shall be published as soon as practicable in such manner as will secure adequate publicity for the amended declaration.
22.
—(1) At any time after a declaration is made in respect of a special event and the special event area for that event, the Commissioner may, with the approval of the Minister, determine that any or all of the following conditions apply to the special event area:
(a)
that a person seeking to enter or in the special event area must, if asked by a police officer or an approved person, permit an inspection to be made of his personal property;
(b)
that a person seeking to enter or in the special event area must, if asked by a police officer, permit a search to be made of the person;
(c)
that a person must not take into or possess in the special event area a prohibited item;
(d)
that a person seeking to enter or in the special event area must comply with any lawful order of a police officer or an approved person regarding the entrant’s entry into and remaining in that area.
(2) Once any such determination is made in respect of a special event and its special event area, the Commissioner shall, by notification published in the Gazette, specify —
(a)
the places, if any, at which a police officer or an approved person may exercise specified powers under sections 24 to 29;
(b)
if the determination includes the statutory condition of entry that a person shall not take into or possess in the special event area a prohibited item, the thing or animal a person is prohibited from bringing into the special event area; and
(c)
any other conditions that apply to entry to the special event area or any part of it.
(3) Any notification under subsection (2) in respect of a special event and its special event area shall be made and published at least 7 days before the proposed date of the special event or, in the case where the special event is to take place during a proposed period, the beginning of that proposed period.
(4) Once such a notification under subsection (2) is published, the Commissioner shall, within 7 days thereafter and before the proposed date of the special event or, in the case where the special event is to take place during a proposed period, the beginning of that proposed period, cause to be published a copy of the notification in such manner as will secure adequate publicity for it.
(5) The Commissioner may at any time amend the notification under subsection (2) relating to a special event and special event area; and notice of the amendment describing briefly the changes therein shall be published as soon as practicable in such manner as will secure adequate publicity for the amended declaration.
23.
—(1) If any person who sells tickets to an event has reasonable grounds for believing that the event may be declared a special event, the person shall take reasonable steps to tell a person, before the person buys tickets to the event, that statutory conditions of entry may apply to the event.
(2) If an event has been declared a special event under section 21, the person who sells tickets to the event must take reasonable steps to tell a person, before the person buys tickets to the event, the statutory conditions of entry that apply to the event.
24.
—(1) This section shall apply only if the notification under section 22(2) relating to the special event to be held at a special event area states that it is a condition of entry to the special event area that an entrant to the area must, if asked by a police officer or an approved person, permit an inspection to be made of the entrant’s personal property.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), a police officer or an approved person may ask the entrant to do one or more of the following:
(a)
allow the police officer or approved person to inspect the entrant’s personal property;
(b)
remove one or more garments worn by the entrant as specified by the police officer or approved person and allow the police officer or approved person to inspect the garments;
(c)
remove all articles from the entrant’s clothing and allow the police officer or approved person to inspect them;
(d)
open an article for inspection and allow the police officer or approved person to inspect it;
(e)
open a vehicle or a part of it for inspection and allow the police officer or approved person to inspect it;
(f)
remove an article from the vehicle as specified by the police officer or approved person and allow the police officer or approved person, as the case may be, to inspect it.
(3) A police officer or an approved person may make a request under subsection (2) if the police officer or approved person reasonably considers it necessary to make a request under subsection (2) in relation to an entrant or the entrant’s personal property, whether or not the entrant or his personal property have been subjected to screening.
(4) Any person who fails to comply with the request of a police officer or an approved person under subsection (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
(5) In this section, inspecting an article includes handling the article, opening it and examining its contents.
25.
—(1) This section shall apply only if the notification under section 22(2) relating to the special event to be held at a special event area states that it is a condition of entry to the special event area that an entrant to the area must, if asked by a police officer, permit a search to be made of the person.
(2) A police officer may ask a person to permit a search of the person where —
(a)
the person is entering or about to enter a special event area; or
(b)
the person is in a special event area.
(3) Any person who fails to comply with the request of a police officer under subsection (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
26.
—(1) This section shall apply only if the notification under section 22(2) relating to the special event to be held at a special event area states that it is a condition of entry to the special event area that an entrant must not take into or possess in the special event area a prohibited item.
(2) A person shall not take a prohibited item into, or possess a prohibited item in, a special event area, unless the person has the express permission of a police officer to do so.
(3) Any person who fails to comply with subsection (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
(4) It shall not be an offence under this section if the person disposes of the prohibited item before entering the special event area.
27.
—(1) This section shall apply if the security system for a special event area involves the use of screening devices, such as (but not limited to) the following:
(a)
a walk-through detector;
(b)
an X-ray machine;
(c)
a hand-held scanner.
(2) A police officer or an approved person may ask an entrant to a special event area to undergo any form of security screening, including doing one or more of the following:
(a)
to walk through a walk-through detector;
(b)
to pass the entrant’s personal property through an X-ray machine;
(c)
to allow the police officer or approved person to pass a hand-held scanner in close proximity to the entrant;
(d)
to allow the police officer or approved person to pass a hand-held scanner in close proximity to the entrant’s personal property.
(3) Any person who fails to comply with the request of a police officer or an approved person under subsection (2) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
28.
—(1) A police officer or an approved person may ask an entrant to a special event area to state the person’s name and residence and his reason for being in, or about to enter, the area.
(2) If the person fails to comply with the request of a police officer or an approved person under subsection (1), the person shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000.
(3) In this section, “residence”, in relation to a person, means the address of the place where the person usually lives in Singapore.
29.
—(1) This section shall apply if —
(a)
the entrant fails to comply with a request of a police officer or an approved person made under this Part;
(b)
the entrant fails to satisfy a police officer or an approved person that the entrant has a good and lawful reason to be at the special event area or a particular part of it; or
(c)
a police officer or an approved person reasonably suspects that the entrant is about to commit, has committed or is committing an offence under section 26(3), 31 or 32.
(2) Unless the entrant is arrested —
(a)
if the entrant has entered the special event area — a police officer or an approved person may direct the entrant to leave and not re-enter the special event area; and
(b)
if the entrant is about to enter the special event area — a police officer or an approved person may by direction refuse him entry to the special event area.
(3) If a person contravenes any direction given by a police officer or an approved person under subsection (2)(a) or (b) to leave a special event area, or attempts to enter or re-enter the special event area contrary to such a direction, a police officer may use such force as is reasonable and necessary to arrest and detain the person for the purpose of removing the person from or preventing his entry or re-entry to the special event area, or to remove the person from the area, as the case may be.
30.
—(1) The Commissioner may, if he reasonably believes that it is necessary for preserving public order and the safety of individuals involved in the special event and other individuals and for the avoidance of disruptions to the special event, at any time during the period the declaration relating to that special event is in force, give written directions to the event organiser of the special event requiring the event organiser concerned (according to the circumstances of the case) to do, or not to do, such things as are specified in the direction or are of a description as specified therein as are necessary for preserving public order and the safety of individuals involved in the special event and other individuals and for the avoidance of disruptions to the special event.
(2) Without prejudice to the generality of subsection (1), a written direction under that subsection may require the event organiser concerned —
(a)
to alter, demolish or remove any gate, door, fence, platform, staging, hoarding or other structure which is wholly within the special event area;
(b)
to keep unblocked any stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare wholly or partly within the special event area;
(c)
to arrange for the removal of a vehicle from, or the movement of a vehicle within, the special event area;
(d)
to give access or priority of access to the public to specified kinds of facilities, amenities or services provided by the event organiser; or
(e)
to cease, either wholly or to the extent specified in the direction, any activity on the special event area or part thereof.
(3) The manner in which that access, or priority of access, is to be given shall be set out in the direction under subsection (1).
(4) The terms and conditions on which that access, or priority of access, is to be given shall be set out in the direction under subsection (1).
(5) An event organiser who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with any written direction given under subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $1,000 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.
(6) Notwithstanding subsection (5), no event organiser shall, by virtue of this section, be guilty of an offence of failing to comply with a written direction containing requirements mentioned in subsection (2)(a) or (b) if the event organiser —
(a)
is not the owner of the gate, door, fence, platform, staging, hoarding or other structure, or the stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare, mentioned in the direction at the relevant time relating to the offence concerned; and
(b)
within 7 days after service on him of a notice alleging that he has been guilty of the offence, furnishes by declaration to the Commissioner, the name and address of the person who is the owner of the gate, door, fence, platform, staging, hoarding or other structure, or the stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare, as the case may be.
(7) Upon receipt of a declaration under subsection (6), the Commissioner may, with the approval of the Minister, during the period a declaration relating to that special event is in force, give another written direction in writing requiring the person named in the declaration under subsection (6) as the owner of —
(a)
the gate, door, fence, platform, staging, hoarding or other structure; or
(b)
the stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare,
specified in the written direction to the event organiser (referred to as the original direction) requiring that owner to do, or not to do, such things as are specified in the original direction or are of a description as specified therein as necessary for preserving public order and the safety of individuals involved in the special event and other individuals and for the avoidance of disruptions to the special event.
(8) If, after the expiration of 7 days from the date of the written direction under subsection (7), the owner to whom the written direction is given fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with the written direction, he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $1,000 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.
(9) In subsections (6), (7) and (8), “owner”, in relation to any gate, door, fence, platform, staging, hoarding or other structure, or stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare, in any premises means —
(a)
except as otherwise provided in paragraph (b) or (c) — the person for the time being receiving the rent of the premises, whether on his own account or as agent or trustee or as receiver, or who would receive the same if the premises were let to a tenant and includes a mortgagee in possession;
(b)
where the gate, door fence, platform, staging, hoarding or structure, or the stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare, is part of any common property or limited common property within the meaning of the Building Maintenance and Strata Management Act (Cap. 30C) —
(i)
the management corporation established under that Act having control of the common property if comprised in a strata title plan, or the person receiving any rent or charge for the maintenance of that common property;
(ii)
the subsidiary management corporation established under that Act having control of the limited common property if comprised in a strata title plan, or the person receiving any rent or charge for the maintenance of that limited common property; or
(iii)
the person receiving any rent or charge for the maintenance and management of the common property not comprised in a strata title plan; and
(c)
where the gate, door fence, platform, staging, hoarding or structure, or the stairs, steps, aisle, gangway, overpass, underpass, bridge, passage, entry, exit or other thoroughfare, is part of the common property of any housing estate of the Housing and Development Board — that Board or the Town Council established under the Town Councils Act (Cap. 329A) for that housing estate.
31.
—(1) A person shall not enter or remain in a special event area unless the person —
(a)
has the consent of the event organiser; and
(b)
is otherwise authorised to enter or remain at the area under this Act.
(2) A person who —
(a)
contravenes subsection (1); or
(b)
contravenes any direction given by a police officer or an approved person under section 29(2) to leave a special event area, or attempts to enter or re-enter the special event area contrary to such a direction,
shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $20,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 12 months or to both.
32. If a person in a special event area —
(a)
engages in violent behaviour;
(b)
disrupts, interferes with, delays or obstructs the conduct of a special event, or any activity associated with the special event, by throwing anything or in any other way; or
(c)
in any other way interferes with the reasonable enjoyment of a special event, or an activity associated with the special event, by someone else,
he shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.
33. Notwithstanding anything in Part II, no public assembly and no public procession of any class or description (whether or not exempted from section 5 under section 46, and whether or not excluded from any prohibition under section 12(2)) shall take place within any special event area for such period as the declaration relating to the special event area is in force unless the Commissioner is notified under section 6 of the intention to hold the public assembly or public procession, and a permit is granted under section 7 in respect of that public assembly or public procession, as the case may be; and the provisions of Part II shall apply to such a public assembly and public procession.