Singapore Police Adopt 3D Scanning Technology to Modernize Crime Scene Investigation

At a media briefing on June 8, 2026, Singapore Police Force officers and forensic specialists from the Home Team Science and Technology Agency (HTX) used the 2016 Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal murder to demonstrate how forensic capabilities have transformed over the past decade. In that case, cleaner Madam Maimunah Awang was stabbed with a grass cutter by colleague Ahmad Muin, who then fled to Malaysia before being extradited and ultimately sentenced to life imprisonment. At the time, investigators relied on photography and hand-drawn sketch plans, and had to revisit the scene multiple times to take additional measurements. Today, FARO Focus S terrestrial 3D laser scanners — first introduced in 2013 and expanded in 2019 and 2020 — can generate millimetre-accurate digital twins of crime scenes, while DJI drones bearing SPF markings provide high-resolution aerial documentation for large or complex outdoor environments. A mixed reality training system using HoloLens-style headsets, operationalised in 2022, allows crime scene specialists to practice bloodstain pattern analysis in immersive, repeatable virtual scenarios without the mess and labour of physical recreations. Officers emphasised that while AI and advanced tools improve efficiency and data richness, core investigative skills — judgment, empathy, and on-site perception — remain irreplaceable human functions.