Each day, 400,000 people cross the land checkpoints in Woodlands and Tuas. The vast majority have legitimate reasons, but some attempt to sneak contraband and other illicit items into Singapore.
The ICA takes a multi-pronged approach in identifying suspicious persons, items and activities, using a number of techniques such as physical checks, X-ray scans and profiling.
Number of contraband cases detected by ICA each year
Human intuition
Officers rely on their intuition and experience to spot anomalies and foil smuggling attempts.
This often means profiling individuals who do not look like smugglers.
One such case took place on Christmas Eve 2022. As hundreds of vehicles were making their way into Singapore during the holiday season, Sergeant (2) Sharifah Noraini Syed Edrus was on duty at Woodlands Checkpoint.
Sgt Sharifah, who has been with the ICA for eight years, said: “It was very late, and they looked tired.”
Sgt Sharifah took the children, aged two and 11, to the ICA office to be cared for, while the mother was questioned by her colleagues.
“It’s not common for smugglers to have children as passengers; usually smugglers are alone in the vehicles they drive,” said the officer.
“The two-year-old was very tired and kept crying for the mother. It was very sad.”
Sgt Sharifah added that the woman later told officers she was facing problems at home.
The case was referred to the Health Sciences Authority, and investigations are ongoing.
We are trained to ensure no contraband or dangerous goods enter Singapore, and can tell from the scanned images of the cargo whether there are anomalies. We are also trained to check and gauge people who sometimes act suspiciously or appear to be hiding something.
Some smugglers have attempted to bring contraband into Singapore by strapping the goods to their bodies and stuffing them in their clothes. Here are some examples of places contraband has been found.
Scanners and mobile cargo inspection system
Cargo vehicles pass through the RSP (radiographic scanning portal), which consists of stationary structures that scan the top and sides of the vehicle.
The scans capture the density and shape of objects inside the vehicle, allowing trained ICA image analysts to identify items not declared in the cargo clearance permit. Scans also highlight radioactive, flammable and explosive material.
If the analysts notice anything suspicious, the vehicle is sent for enhanced checks. Otherwise, it is cleared to leave.
In addition to the RSP, the vehicle-based Mobile Cargo Inspection System can be driven around and deployed to different locations.
It is a smaller scanning system, but can handle vehicles of a similar height as the RSP.
As it is mobile, it is used at other clearance lanes to ease congestion where necessary.
Data analysis
Random checks can catch only so many people, and while trained officers who can spot tell-tale signs of smuggling have proven effective, manpower limitations underscore the need for other solutions too.
In recent years, the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has turned to data analysis in deciding when to conduct checks.
Deputy Superintendent (DSP) Teo Chen Sian, assistant commander of Domain Intelligence at ICA’s Integrated Checkpoints Command (Land), said: “Targeting happens at the back end, where we look at data from various sources and zoom in on specific data sets, allowing us to target specific travellers or vehicles.
She added that with the use of data, the deployed officers can focus their attention on travellers and vehicles that are more likely to be carrying contraband, even in the absence of any visible tell-tale signs.
DSP Teo said that targeting operations will be ramped up in the coming years, and there are plans to make use of artificial intelligence.
She said: “But this is just another added layer in our approach. It is meant to complement our operations.”