On 27 September 2016 at about 6.44pm, the Police were alerted of an incident at Blk 462 Sembawang Drive, where a 39-year-old man had locked himself and a 2-year-old boy in one of the units.
The Crisis Negotiation Unit was activated to negotiate for the safe release of the boy. Officers from the Special Operations Command (SOC) were also deployed in the event there was a need for forced entry. On 28 September 2016 at about 12.03pm, after a 17-hour standoff, SOC officers broke the windows to rescue the boy. The front gate was then cut to facilitate the arrest of the man. He was arrested for Wrongful Confinement, Possession of Scheduled Weapon and drug-related offences. Police investigations are ongoing.
The boy was physically unharmed throughout the entire operation. The Police are working with MSF on the well-being of the boy.
Incident commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police Lian Ghim Hua said, “It was a challenging operation as the safety of a 2-year-old child was involved, and the negotiations were also protracted, running to some 17 hours. Securing the safe release of the child was my top priority in the operation. I am glad the operation turned out well with the child safely secured through a coordinated operation involving officers from various Police units and SCDF."
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
28 September 2016 @ 8:00 PM