SINGAPORE – They work behind closed doors, their identities kept a secret, because their job includes working with Internal Security Act (ISA) terror detainees to turn them around from being a threat to society.

Dave (not his real name) has been an intelligence psychologist with the Internal Security Department (ISD) for five years.

When a radicalised person is detained, Dave and others in the team are among those called in to rehabilitate the individual.

He said intelligence psychologists conduct psychological assessments and interventions for individuals detained or issued with restriction orders under the ISA for terrorism-related activities. 

Dave, who is in his 30s, added: “Our aim is to better understand each person’s rehabilitation needs, psychological vulnerabilities to radicalisation, motivations and strengths, and tailor our rehabilitation approach accordingly.

“We also run psychological rehabilitation programmes that strengthen areas such as critical thinking, emotional regulation, identity development and adaptive coping.”

In its annual terrorism report released Sept 10, ISD, which is part of the Home Team, said the terrorist threat in Singapore remains high, fuelled by conflicts in the Middle East.

Youth radicalisation is a pressing concern, with the number of cases involving young people in Singapore in the past five years, almost quadrupling from four cases between 2017 and 2021 to 15 cases since 2022.

The report also noted that the ...