[citation needed] The Marine Division underwent a major restructuring and was renamed as the Police Coast Guard on 13 February 1993,[2] given its expanded roles in marine security responsibilities and capabilities, including preventing the intrusion of illegal migrants and foreign government vessels, and the guarding of the Horsburgh Lighthouse on the disputed island of Pedra Branca in the Singapore Straits.

[4] On 20 March 2006, it relocated its headquarters to its current location at Brani Regional Base, due to the planned damming of the Marina Bay and Kallang Basin.

The new Police Coast Guard headquarters at Pulau Brani was officially opened on 8 February 2007 by the Minister for Home Affairs, DPM Wong Kan Seng.

Each of these regional bases are similarly organised to the Neighbourhood Police Centres of the SPF's Land Divisions and conduct patrols and checks within their respective maritime sectors of Singapore's territorial waters.

[3] The Interceptor Squadron, located at both the Lim Chu Kang and Loyang regional bases, is outfitted with PC-class high-speed patrol-craft able to control, track and prevent the movement of illegal immigrants and intruding vessels all along the Straits of Johor.

The PCG has an elite unit known as the Special Task Squadron (STS), which can be activated to conduct high-risk operations where high speed pursuits and increased firepower are deemed necessary to achieve their objectives.

In June 2017, PCG introduced a new front-line unit trained in counter-assault skills and to respond to terrorist attacks in Singapore's territorial waters.

In addition, the ERF is trained in boarding vessels ranging from small tugboats to large merchant ships to neutralise any terrorist or serious criminal activity aboard and to search for dangerous and/or explosive cargo, goods or items.

It is expected that in the near future, all PCG officers are going to be trained as ERF members in view of increasing terrorist activity around the world, especially if it centers around Singapore.

The Police Coast Guard conducts 24-hour round-the-clock patrols in Singapore's territorial waters from its four regional bases, in an area of more than 200 square nautical miles (700 km²).

The control of illegal migrants entering Singapore's waters has become one of the most visible roles of the PCG, however, aided in part by constant media reports on such arrests.

[19] While the number of intrusions has been drastically reduced in recent years with the acquisition of radar and other sophisticated night-vision equipment, the attraction of Singapore as a migrant destination continues to pose a constant operational challenge to the PCG.

In a further bid to thwart illegal immigrants from landing on Singapore's shores, the PCG has erected physical barriers in the form of high-fencing topped with sharp razor-wire and fitted with electrical motion-sensors along critical areas of the shoreline where such intrusions are common, including in Lim Chu Kang, on Pulau Punggol Barat, Pulau Ubin and the Western Live Firing Area on Singapore's northwestern coast.

Included in the bid to thwart illegal immigrants, the PCG has employed Unmanned Surface Vessels (USVs) in late-2017 to conduct maritime patrols and these robot-equipped boats can help in easing manpower issues after their field-test and the speed is 30 knots (55 km/h).

They lack any armament, unlike current PCG boats, but are still equipped with searchlights, a radar, sensors, electro-optic cameras and loudspeakers, as well as an on-board automatic fire-extinguishing system.

[21] There were also possible plans to bomb the United States Navy ships using the narrow channel between Pulau Tekong and Changi on the northeastern coast of Singapore.

[22] In response to these threats, the PCG stepped up routine checks on vessels in Singapore's territorial waters, in particular on passenger ferries returning from regional destinations.

This uniform consisted of a long-sleeved shirt and long pants made of a slightly tougher polyester, and does away with almost all metal parts via the use of Velcro and plastic buttons.

[25] These were introduced to project a softer image on the island where recreational activities abound, and to provide greater comfort for the officers in the humid outdoor weather.

While they were introduced to overcome existing limitations of the current uniform, such as allowing for less hindrance in body movement due to the more relaxed fit, and its non-flammable properties, they met with opposition from some officers who feel it projects the wrong image to the general public, including its "technician" look.

[36] A single PT class patrol boat, PT8 Mangove Jack was preserved at Pasir Ris Town Park as part of the Nexus Youth Hub.

[30] The second type was originally intended to be the second generation interceptor craft but were not considered a success and was relegated to normal patrol duties and renamed into the PC class.

The PCG has engaged in joint operations with the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) since the 1990s and is still ongoing with strong mutual ties, such as the joint actions of the RSN's 180 Squadron (comprising personnel of the Navy's Accompanying Sea Security Team, better known as ASSeT) and the PCG (with several officers trained and selected to do joint boarding operations with their Navy ASSeT counterparts) in boarding key vital and important cargo vessels (such as LNG/LPG carrier ships or oil tankers) in Singapore's territorial waters to protect them from any terrorist activity, such as hijacking actions or bombing attacks, and to ensure vessels have safe passage,[42] as well as with foreign agencies.

It is involved in the annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) programme with the United States Coast Guard, the RSN, and five other Southeast Asian countries.

[44] The PCG also has collaborations with the Republic of Korea Coast Guard[45] and makes regular contacts with the Hong Kong Police Force's Marine Region through a reciprocal attachment programme.