A proposed law before Parliament will make it an offence for people to film or take photographs of what is taking place in the vicinity of a terror attack, if a stop order is issued.

Such footage has undermined security operations during these attacks elsewhere, leading Singapore to introduce the Public Order and Safety (Special Powers) Bill that will give the police powers to stop such actions in serious incidents.

Associate Professor Bilveer Singh of the Centre of Excellence for National Security, in backing the communications stop order, said citizen journalists may lack strategic perspective when spreading information about an incident. Butdeterring such filming could lead to loss of information that may help in police probes. “This is a fine balancing act that needs to be addressed,” he said.

Professor Rohan Gunaratna, head of the International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research, stressed the need for the authorities to work with the media. “Media personnel should be trained to understand their reporting should neither sensationalise terrorism nor unwittingly help the terrorists and cause loss of life and property.”

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