with the recent dave teo's incident, the spotlight has centered
on guard duties. no doubt all camps in SAF now are tightening the
way guard duties are conducted.
I don't think it's fair to link this way to Mandai Hill Camp,
which is a combat one. (Dave Teo also deserted on a Sunday night,
apparently during the usual book-in hours. So it's hard to believe
there were no eyewitnesses if he did blatantly walk out of the main
gate.)
No idea whether what you described is that commonplace elsewhere.
But, in my time long long ago, my course-time camp used to see
varying standards too. It had personnel from various operational,
training-wing, HQ Formation units & even the SAF Boys' School
pulling guard duty -- over & above the RPs manning the gates
during the daytime. Let's say their prowler system wasn't that
"disciplined" either, as compared to my active unit's (as I
discovered later).
But things were offset by a very reactive regimentation, meaning
multiple guard turnouts &, as I recall, some of the BOS's
driving around the camp past midnight (to check on the "autonomous"
prowlers?). Every SOP was like it was still BMT; luckily I was only
a vocational trainee but imagine how the operational troops must've
felt at being treated like the lowest common demoninator there for
the rest of their NS.
Perhaps, as the SAF got more professional, the end of these
pure-tekan, bureaucratic BS had created a power vacuum which was
never quite refilled, even as non-combat camps must continue to
maintain a sustainable level of security.
yes but 20 SA does not do gate sentry it is only 2SIR guards do
gate sentry.
If we're talking Amoy Quee, I know 20 SA guard their "own" side
gate various periods in the past. Speaking of which, if there's one
security flaw with the SAF gate-sentry system IMO it's these side
gates. Yes, access is controlled in the sense that they're only
open certain hours but, on the whole, only a Gate IC & an armed
sentry are stationed & neither have direct contact with the
main guardroom (private cellphones aside). If the camp is big, it
can take 10 minutes to run back & report any incidents.
