HTX’s Top Stories of 2024

2024 was a banner year for HTX in our quest to use science and technology to bolster Singapore’s safety and security. We also celebrated our 5th anniversary! As 2025 comes around, let’s look back at our top stories from the past 12 months.

In January we learned about TextOracle, a system developed by the Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE) and Q Team CoE to support forensic handwriting analysis with artificial intelligence (AI). TextOracle was presented at the 23rd Triennial Meeting of the International Association of Forensic Sciences (IAFS), which was attended by over 1,700 forensic experts from 70 countries.

February saw the inaugural Demo Day of HTX’s innovation hub Hatch. Demo Day is the major event for start-ups participating in Hatch’s Dimension X programme, where they showcase their tech solutions for problems set by Home Team Departments (HTDs). By the end of the year, 3 cohorts of start-ups would have graduated from the Dimension X programme!

Q Team's Tech Showcase, which took place in March, was attended by almost 100 colleagues from HTDs and other government agencies. This event introduced the new homeland security technologies that had been developed by Q Team’s intrepid engineers.

The inaugural Milipol Asia-Pacific & TechX Summit (MAP-TXS), which took place in April, was the Asia-Pacific’s premier homeland security conference and exhibition. Attracting over 11,600 visitors from 75 countries, and showcasing homeland security technologies from over 300 exhibitors from 31 countries, MAP-TXS was a 3-day event that also featured high-powered conference panels from government, industry, and academia who discussed timely issues like AI and homeland security.

A welcome accolade that HTX also received in April involved being recognised as one of Singapore's Best Employers 2024. This was the second year in a row where HTX made the Singapore’s Best Employers list!

The second annual HTX Convention, which took place in May, had a jam-packed programme which included the announcement of HTX’s AI-First strategy and the kick-starting of HTX’s 5th anniversary celebrations.

To manifest the 5th anniversary theme “Hands Across HTX” through tech, the Hi-5 system was launched at the Convention. Hi-5 counters were installed at HTX facilities across Singapore, allowing Xponents to high-five one another virtually. CE Chan Tsan set the ambitious goal for Xponents to achieve 555,555 Hi-5s by the 5th anniversary celebration at the end of the year. (Did we achieve this target? Scroll down to find out!)

In June, HTX tech was showcased at the inaugural Public Sector Transformation IdeasFest. The tech presented to curious visitors included the Robotics, Automation & Unmanned Systems (RAUS) CoE’s cyborg cockroach,  Sense-making & Surveillance (S&S) CoE’s AlchemiX deepfake detector, and Human Factors & Simulation (HFS) CoE’s Road Traffic Accident Extended Reality (XR) Simulator.

HTX’s annual Family & Sports Day, which also took place in June, brought almost 2,000 Xponents and their family members to the Marina Barrage. Despite the rainy weather, the participants let their hair down with games, fitness activities, and even a magic show!

In July, the first phase of the new Traffic Priority System (TPS) was launched. Jointly developed by HTX, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA), the TPS gives SCDF ambulances traffic signal priority in the “final mile” when transporting patients with life-threatening conditions to the hospital. At traffic junctions equipped with TPS, first responders can hasten a patient’s delivery to the hospital by 30 to 100 seconds!

In August, passport-less immigration clearance was launched at selected automated lanes at Changi Airport Terminal 3. At these lanes, immigration clearance was achieved through facial and iris biometrics, reducing the time taken to clear immigration by 40%. By the end of the year, passport-less biometric immigration clearance will be extended to all terminals in Changi Airport and Marina Bay Cruise Centre.

In September, Xponents made a splash at DEF CON 32, the world’s largest white hat hacking and cybersecurity conference, with two teams winning third and fifth place finishes in their respective CTF village cybersecurity competitions!

Capability Sustainment Innovation Day, which took place in October, was an opportunity for HTX’s Capability Sustainment divisions to showcase the scalable and smart innovations they have developed for the HTDs, including systems featuring the application of AI and other cutting-edge technologies. The highlight was a roundtable discussion with four Deputy Commissioners (DCs) from the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), and Singapore Prison Service (SPS), who shared how their operations have been enhanced thanks to the untiring efforts of HTX’s Capability Sustainment officers.

Also in October, CE Chan Tsan received the Most People-Focused CEO award at the HR Excellence Awards 2024. This accolade recognised how he had and continues to empower Xponents to “drive ground-breaking initiatives to propel radical business transformation”.

At the GovTech Digital Services Awards held in November, the efforts by HTX’s Digital Services Programme Management Centre (DSPMC) to optimise the websites of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), SPF, SCDF, ICA, and HTX bore fruit when these agencies picked up multiple awards including awards for Best Improvement (SPF), Best Functionality (ICA), Best Accessibility (ICA, SCDF, and HTX), and Best Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) (ICA, SCDF, and HTX).

HTX turned five in December and two celebratory activities were held to commemorate this major milestone. The first event was an early morning “dash” across Singapore that saw Xponents travelling via bicycle or on foot from eight satellite offices back to HTX HQ. These cross-island treks symbolised HTX’s formation through the bringing together of tech talent from MHA and the HTDs.

Later that day, over 1,500 Xponents gathered for the 5th anniversary ceremony cum staff dinner and dance held at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre. Outside the ballroom where the ceremony and dinner and dance were held, a gallery had been installed to highlight milestones from HTX’s first five years and to help Xponents make new memories with colourful photo opportunities.

What new milestones will HTX achieve in 2025? Let’s find out together!