SINGAPORE: In November last year, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Jerry Tan found himself dealing with a bomb threat on an aircraft about to land at Changi Airport.
The information about the alleged bomb came from “an unknown source, so that reduced the credibility of it”, said the 33-year-old patrol team leader in the Airport Police Division.
Nevertheless, the police had to ensure that aviation security was not compromised. ASP Tan’s team was dispatched, and immediately started working with different airport agencies to rule out the possibility of a bomb on board.
Taking command of the situation, ASP Tan had no time for fear as he focused on making sure that his team performed the necessary procedures and kept various stakeholders informed.
“After the aircraft was parked, we had to manage the scene, coordinate the rescreening of passengers, baggage and cargo, search the aircraft for the bomb, as well as control the movement of people into the aircraft and conduct interviews with witnesses,” he said.
It took three to four hours in total to contain the situation and rule out the bomb threat, from the time that police received the tip-off before the plane’s arrival.