Fewer than 1 in 5 noticed suspicious items during MHA's social experiments

More than 2,500 people in Tampines and Bishan walked past a black suitcase and a black car with a concealed number plate, but fewer than 500 of them noticed the suspicious objects.

- Claudia Tan

Even fewer of them either intended to or actually did alert the authorities to the items – just 26.

Over a few hours during lunch and dinner, the suitcase and car were left in public places to test the public's response to terror incidents. The social experiments were conducted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on June 10 and 13, respectively.

Noting the results of the social experiments, Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam said: "How do we explain this reaction? The reality is Singapore is a safe place, probably one of the safest cities of our size.

"For decades it has been like that, so very few people think in terms of crime or terror. That explains the awareness of threats.

"The level of safety we have is good, but it brings huge challenges when we want to educate the public to say 'it's not a question of if, but when'. It will happen at some point, and we need to be prepared."