In recent weeks, attacks have taken place at a nightclub in Orlando, a restaurant in Dhaka, and on crowds at a promenade in Nice.

With Singapore also facing the threat of terrorism, the police want some of the more vulnerable and crowded establishments here – especially retail malls – to shore up their defences.

“Moving forward, the police will be engaging the management of commercial buildings, including retail malls, to develop contingency plans and conduct joint exercises to enhance their readiness to deal with any attack,” said Mr Melvin Yong, an MP for Tanjong Pagar GRC.

He was speaking yesterday at the first of several counter-terrorism seminars conducted by the Singapore Police Force for the business community.

… Dr Mohamed Nawab Mohamed Osman, an assistant professor at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, noted that there have also been more “lone wolf” attacks in recent years. He said: “Right now, Singapore is beginning to see enhanced security. The fact that we are one of the most global cosmopolitan cities that have not seen an attack shows that our security system is very much in place.”