The presence of an elite police force armed with machine guns in residential districts would be unprecedented but did "not signal an increase in the level of threat", the police said on Monday, Nov 1.

"This is a strategy to raise the visibility of our officers on patrol," said a police spokesman.

Tightly controlled Singapore sees itself as a prime target after foiling plots by militants to attack the wealthy Southeast Asian island in 2001 and 2002.

"The increased patrols on the streets aim to project an even strong police presence on the ground to reassure the public and to further deter potential terrorist attacks," the police said in a statement.

Singapore's founding prime minister and current Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew recently warned in a media interview about the potential for terrorist activities in the city-state.

Lee told the Public Broadcasting Service of the US that Islamic extremists linked to Osama bin Laden are planning something big for Singapore.

Singapore, a mostly ethnic Chinese city-state wedged between Muslim dominated Indonesia and Malaysia, has detained 37 suspected militants after foiling plots by the Jemaah Islamiah network in 2001 and 2002 to blow up Western targets in the city.

Jemaah Islamiah is a Southeast Asian militant group that is thought to have close links with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

Singapore's government has stepped up security measures since the September 11, 2001, attacks in the US, and often warns its citizens to be vigilant.

Last month, the police began an education programme for Singapore's 40,000 taxi drivers to teach them to spot potential terrorists. Early this year, it staged a mock bomb blast drill on a rail system and rolled out a media campaign appealing people to be vigilant and wary of suspicious individuals and objects.

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