Key database useful in hunt for Mas Selamat

[Strawberrypink]

Key database useful in hunt for Mas Selamat

By May Wong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 18 March 2008 2014 hrs

 

SINGAPORE: Officers searching for escaped Jemaah Islamiyah leader, Mas Selamat Kastari, are using a database to make their hunt more effective.

 

Mas Selamat escaped from the Whitley Road Detention Centre some three weeks ago. The 47-year-old is alleged to have been the mastermind of a plot to crash a hijacked plane into Changi Airport.

 

The database used in the hunt contains key information such as the location of vacant buildings in Singapore and possible hideouts used by illegal immigrants.

 

These details come under a programme called Operations Terrain Mapping, which has been updated over the last three years by Home Team officers who registered their observations and contact networks on the database to tackle crime and terrorism.

 

There are also plans to enhance the IT system that centrally stores and shares such terrain information to allow the Home Team to share some parts of the database with other ministries and possibly grassroots organisations in the future.

 

This was revealed by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng on Tuesday at a workshop for some 700 Home Team officers from agencies like the Police Force and the Internal Security Department.

 

Mr Wong said: "Our sector officers were able to identify 121 vacant or abandoned buildings within a day and the search operations conducted against these sites were mounted expeditiously. This swift response would not have been possible had we not already marked these buildings in our terrain maps.

 

"Another example was the location of cordons and road blocks. As the search operations expanded islandwide in response to public calls, our officers were able to swiftly set up cordon lines and road blocks which were pre-identified in the terrain maps. This enabled us to swiftly lock in the search area while other officers commenced the searches."

 

He added that these officers will face more complex tasks in the future, but efforts to build stronger relationships with various communities will pay off.

 

In fact, the deputy prime minister said such partnerships have already contributed to the fast mobilisation of the community in the search for Mas Selamat. Many organisations have stepped forward to help distribute over 210,000 pamphlets on the fugitive.

 

With more officers involved in the on-going search for Mas Selamat, the attendance at this year's Home Team workshop was lower compared to last year.

 

Despite the security breach that led to Mas Selamat's escape, Mr Wong told his audience that the Home Team spirit is still very much alive.

 

He said: "Indeed, without excusing the lapse which led to Mas Selamat's escape, our Home Team officers should not lose heart for they have done much to be proud of. The work of the Home Team must go on because life goes on in society, whether it is to combat crime, drugs or fire hazards or deal with those who break the law."

 

The Home Affairs Ministry also said on Tuesday that it has checked with its Indonesian counterparts and found no information to validate a report in the Jakarta Post that said Mas Selamat was already in East Java.

 

On a separate note, seven groups received the Home Team Achievement Awards at the workshop.

 

 

- CNA/so

 

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so i guess they will be able to get him soon?

[Sleepyman]

Terrain mapping,zzz but illegal immigrants hiding in wooded areas for ages also don't know.

 

Need Mas Selamat's escape then accidentally flush out those hiding immigrants.

 

 

> are using a database to make their hunt more effective.

[Beei]

Give them some more time.. maybe 20 to 30 years..

Edited March 18, 2008 by Beei

[Strawberrypink]

 

[Kb27]

Maybe the malsingmaps mapper can put them under POI.

[Friendstar]

all personnel will be equipped with a N95 with GPS

[RadX]

Garmin better

 

soon you see govt tender for GPS system, handheld

[Thermodynamics]

Mr Wong said: "Our sector officers were able to identify 121 vacant or abandoned buildings within a day and the search operations conducted against these sites were mounted expeditiously. This swift response would not have been possible had we not already marked these buildings in our terrain maps.

 

"Another example was the location of cordons and road blocks. As the search operations expanded islandwide in response to public calls, our officers were able to swiftly set up cordon lines and road blocks which were pre-identified in the terrain maps. This enabled us to swiftly lock in the search area while other officers commenced the searches."

 

Thank you Mr Wong. BUT..... where is Mas Selemat?

[Mzrmazda3]

The most important thing is to catch that bugger soon ...

[Nkps]

wah u r early today

[Apollo]

eh... ur where is Mas Selamat reminds mi of CSJ's where's our $$...

 

 

it took them 3 weeks to identify 100+ buildings in 1 day. i wondering how many c0ckroach they managed to catch there...

 

 

btw, is this Cant Sing hinting Kasteri will come back with vengence and kabroom us becos he failed to arrest the bugger?

 

 

He added that these officers will face more complex tasks in the future, but efforts to build stronger relationships with various communities will pay off.

[Sw20]

The most dangerous place is the safest place.....

They must think out of the box....

[Drive_carcar]

Hiding in Mr Wong's toilet?

[Typhoonz]

"Despite the security breach that led to Mas Selamat's escape, Mr Wong told his audience that the Home Team spirit is still very much alive."

 

Of course the Home Team spirit is very much alive lah... At least to him... He's not the one doing the search mah... He's just in his office "monitoring" the situation while the rest of them sweat it out in some forsaken part of Xinkarpor...

[Typhoonz]

Or rather out of Xinkarpor...

[Apollo]

he kah kee kong, LP song. like comical ali lor.

[Blackyv]

these scholars are good... they can really "snooke" us with something new every few days... some kind of "finding" which, we can't imagine will helps in finding MSK but they manage to identify... must be "rocket science" kind of brain they have....

[Typhoonz]

How come these people don't walk the talk? At least join in the search a bit and wayang lah... Just stay inside the office and say these kind of useless comments... Who the hell is going to believe him that the Home Team spirit is very much alive? Everyone who's in the search team is cursing and swearing for the extra hours...