Speech at Singapore Security Industry Awards 2025
Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash, Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre
Mr Kelvin Goh, President, Security Association Singapore (SAS),
Mr Melvin Yong, Assistant Secretary General, NTUC,
Ms Yeo Wan Ling, Assistant Secretary General, NTUC,
Mr Ardi Bin Amir, President of Union of Security Employees,
Industry leaders, distinguished guests,
And most importantly, our security professionals,
1. Good evening. It is my pleasure to join you today as we celebrate the companies and individuals driving transformation in our security industry.
2. Tonight, we honour our collective progress. The award recipients here represent the very best of our industry — companies that have embraced innovation, service buyers who have championed professional development, and leaders who understand that transformation means investing in both technology and people.
3. My warmest congratulations to the 126 recipients across 21 categories. Your dedication doesn't just advance your individual organisations; it collectively strengthens the security industry’s foundation in Singapore.
Embracing Innovation Together
4. Our security landscape continues to evolve rapidly. However, I am heartened by how this industry has responded through technologies like integrated sensors, robotics, and smart surveillance to transform your operations.
5. This is why the Government has worked with tripartite partners to develop the Security Industry Transformation Map. It serves as our compass, encouraging agencies to harness technology not just for productivity gains, but to create more meaningful, skilled roles for security professionals.
Building Careers Through Progressive Wages and Upskilling
6. As we embrace technology and innovation, we must ensure our workforce benefits from this transformation, to be able to ensure sustained growth for the industry through attraction, retention and development of our security officers. The Security Progressive Wage Model is central to this commitment.
7. The Security PWM sets out training requirements for every job rung, and training is subsidised for employers and workers via Workfare Skills Support. Security agencies benefit from increased efficiency and the ability to provide higher security standards to service buyers, while security officers benefit from upskilling and higher wages.
8. This approach transforms security from a job into a profession — one where continuous learning is rewarded, expertise is valued, and long-term careers are encouraged.
9. A good example of this is Triple ‘S’ Protection Private Limited, who will be receiving Workforce Singapore (WSG)’s Workforce Transformation Award this evening. As part of its transformation efforts, Triple ‘S’ has redesigned its security officers’ job scopes to encompass higher value-added tasks, such as operating and troubleshooting security robots. Security officers were reskilled through WSG’s Career Conversion Programme (CCP) for Security Officers, enabling them to contribute more meaningfully to daily operations while maximising productivity for the organisation.
10. Organisations seeking to embark on their transformation journey can also look to AETOS, who will be receiving the Tier 1 – Outstanding award under the Best Private Security Training Organisations category tonight. As the appointed SkillsFuture Queen Bee for the sector, AETOS’s SecureX mentorship programme provides business transformation workshops and consultation clinics to support security agencies in upskilling and adopting new tools in the course of their work.
11. I hope more security agencies will be inspired by these examples to embark on your own business and workforce transformation journeys.
Looking Ahead
12. Thank you once again for your dedicated service and to Singapore's security. Your commitment to excellence, innovation, and professional development sets the benchmark for our entire sector, and builds the foundation for tomorrow’s success.
13. Congratulations to all recipients, and thank you.