- Sim Ann said crisis response needs both operational skill and psychological preparedness. She said fear and confusion are natural, and the Covid-19 pandemic showed the human side matters.
- Dr Diong Siew Maan said officers and responders need psychological support before, during and after crises. She cited the 2013 Little India riot and the 2004 Phuket tsunami as examples.
- MHA launched the HEART Associates Youth Wing to train 30 youths in psychological first aid. Members Soh Yi Han and Imran Rashid Fazal said peer support must be empathetic and suited to young people.
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SINGAPORE – When the Little India riot broke out on Dec 8, 2013, psychologist, Dr Diong Siew Maan treated several police officers and paramedics injured in the mayhem.
Now a director (psychological research) at the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Home Team Psychology Division (HTPD), Dr Diong said the casualties had been traumatised by Singapore’s first riot since the 1960s.
Lessons were learnt from that incident, such as how to better respond to a crisis, recover from it, and how to come out more resilient from the experience while trying to maintain a sense of calm among the population.
On Oct 27, a voluntary programme to equip youths with psychological first aid skills to support their peers and strengthen community resilience after a crisis, was launched.
Called the Human Emergency Assistance and Response Teams (HEART) Associates Youth Wing Programme, it comprises 30 members.
They are trained to connect with peers through youth-led outreach, and will be asked to help Singapore be more psychologically prepared in the event of a crisis.
The event was held at an inaugural professional community forum, Human Behaviour in Crises: Reactions, Response, Resilience, at Furama Riverfront Hotel.
Dr Diong had established the Singapore Civil Defence Force’s first psychological unit in early 2013 and built a structured system to help responders manage post-critical incident stress.
She was also involved in providing psychological support to police officers deployed in the 2004 Tsunami in Phuket.
Before the deployment, Dr Diong and her team provided police officers with a psychological brief, assessed and offered some morale assessment, including forms of psychological first aid.
When the officers returned, psychologists looked into their psychological well-being as part of the reintegration process.
From her experience in providing psychological support to officers, she said there was a potential in expanding the support to youths connected to social media.
Added Dr Diong: “They also interact with one another in a very different way, so we thought we would want to tap on this particular group of youth who are savvy, educated, and who has the commitment and keenness to help their peers (during a crisis).
“One possibility is in the event of crisis, they can help us spread positive and resilient messages, or advisories to other youths.”
Second Minister for Home Affairs Sim Ann launched the HEART Associates Youth Wing Programme, and stressed on the importance of understanding how people are likely to react in a crisis.
Sim said: “In a crisis, young people, like everyone else, can experience psychological distress. When facing adversity, some may turn to friends and peers first for support and comfort.”
Sim said fear and confusion are natural but people experience them differently.
She added: “Recognising these differences strengthens our operational planning. It helps us communicate clearly, counter misinformation, and identify those who may need additional support.”
She cited how Singaporeans helped each other during the Covid-19 pandemic while following public health measures, and adapting to disruption.
Said Sim: “The experience showed that an effective crisis response depends on both operational capability and psychological preparedness.”
The forum brought over 200 participants such as leaders and officers from the Home Team, including psychologists from across government agencies, community partners, and practitioners.
Organised by the HTPD, the event discussed human responses in times of crises, and how they shape recovery, resilience and longer-term outcomes.
A volunteer from the Youth Wing, Imran Rashid Fazal, 34, an undergraduate from the Singapore University of Social Sciences, draws on his experience from working in the airline industry.
He realised that people respond to situations differently. And dealing with youths in a crisis situation is slightly different as they interact in other ways with family and friends.
Another HEART volunteer, Soh Yi Han, 23, a post graduate student from Nanyang Technological University, Master of Science in Psychology, also volunteers as a victim care officer with the police.
She has helped victims of scams and sexual assaults.
Added Soh: “Some victims really need more time to process what has just happened to recollect their thoughts and emotions.
“They may have different coping systems or support systems, so it’s very important for us to make sure that we don’t expect every individual to cope in the same way.”