(From left to right) HTX Deputy Chief Executive (Development) Ng Yeow Boon, Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) Pang Kin Keong, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law K Shanmugam, HTX Chief Executive Chan Tsan and HTX Director, Forensics Centre of Expertise Lim Chin Chin at the opening of FIRST. (Photo: HTX/Damian Koh)
HTX scored another win in its efforts to enhance public safety and security in Singapore when it unveiled the FIRST (Forensic Innovation and Research for Strategic Transformation) Lab on 14 April 2025.
Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law Mr K Shanmugam was the guest of honour for the launch ceremony, which was also attended by Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) Pang Kin Keong.
The new lab is the national facility for testing for New Psychoactive Substances (NPS), which are substances that mimic the effects of established illicit drugs but have modified chemical structures to evade drug enforcement.
With the number of NPS-related arrests on the rise – surging from 11 cases between 2014 and 2017 to 235 cases between 2018 and 2022 – the lab will play a pivotal role in Singapore’s fight against these substances.
Mr K Shanmugam enters the FIRST lab on its launch day. (Photo: HTX/Damian Koh)
“HTX, as a whole, has added many dimensions to our work in the Ministry of Home Affairs – the science and technology front. Helping the Police in crime detection, crime solving. Helping the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) in terms of logistics, equipment management, and across in the Prisons. HTX has been working with the Home Team Departments closely,” he said.
Highlighting how the range of new cutting-edge technologies and techniques pursued at FIRST will facilitate comprehensive testing of NPS, he added: “We are working ahead of time, and legislation has been amended to deal with NPS. We are trying to identify them – what are all the different possible chemical combinations that can give you a kick or a high.
“Some of these are in very early stages – they are prototype, proof of concept… it's very exciting work. A very good lab.”
HTX Senior Forensic Scientist Dr Ng Cheng Yang (centre) explains the lab’s NPS testing capabilities to Mr K Shanmugam. (Photo: HTX/Damian Koh)
HTX Chief Executive (CE) Chan Tsan also shared that the opening of this new lab is another testament to HTX’s dedication to safeguarding the public.
“Drug abuse ruins lives. It is thus imperative that we stay ahead of the curve when it comes to tackling the threat that NPS poses to society, and we will achieve this by doing what we do best – using science and technology to force multiply the efforts of the Home Team,” he said.
HTX Senior Forensic Scientist Dr Ngeow Kao Chin demonstrates part of the NPS testing process in the pharmacology lab. (Photo: HTX/Law Yong Wei)
FIRST is developing advanced tools to detect drug consumption as well as evaluating hair test kits to screen for drug consumption.
FIRST is also home to other sophisticated drug-fighting innovations, for example a first-of-its-kind wearable device that can detect traces of drugs in a user’s perspiration. These tools can assist the Home Team in areas such as monitoring of supervisees in drug rehabilitation programmes. (Photo: HTX/Law Yong Wei)
Holistic capabilities
The lab’s world-class instrumentation and enhanced research capabilities will aid its diverse team of forensic scientists with deep research in areas beyond NPS testing as well.
This spans the fields of forensic biology, physics, engineering, chemistry and pharmacology, as well as scene forensics.
Think of it as a hub for HTX’s forensic scientists, furnished with cutting-edge gadgets and tools that will help crack the toughest of the Home Team’s forensic puzzles.
Examples of FIRST’s research areas include green energies, post-blast investigations, and the use of cutting-edge biological omics analysis techniques to attribute forensic evidence to individuals with greater accuracy, such as the use of human proteins (e.g. those in hair) to identify persons.
Leveraging computational science and artificial intelligence (AI) to improve investigative capabilities, the lab’s research will also look into applications such as the use of neural networks to predict the sex of persons from their fingerprint. This would allow crime investigators to narrow the pool of suspects at a scene and significantly reduce investigation time.
Members of HTX’s Forensics Centre of Expertise (CoE) pose with the guests of honour at the opening event. (Photo: HTX/Damian Koh)
Bringing advanced forensic technologies and research under one roof offers a platform for seamless collaboration amongst forensic scientists, law enforcement agencies, and industry and academic partners. This will in turn pave the way for a multidisciplinary forensic R&D approach, increased efficiency and accelerated forensic breakthroughs, said Lim Chin Chin, Director of HTX’s Forensics CoE.
“We’re creating space for multidisciplinary research, innovation, and global collaboration to converge. By pushing the boundaries of forensic science, we aim to unlock new possibilities, shape future capabilities, and contribute to a safer world – starting in Singapore, with impact far beyond,” said Chin Chin.
“Ultimately, our mission is to reshape Home Team operations embedding forensics as a force multiplier across all operations, from prevention to response.”
