On 11 March 2025, Bedok Police Division presented the Public Spiritedness Award to eight members of the public for assisting the Police in six separate cases. Four other individuals were presented the Community Partnership Award for their strong partnership with the Police in preventing the commission of scam.
The brief facts of some of these cases are as follows:
Cases Commended for Public Spiritedness Award
On 31 August 2024, Mr Chia Sok Heng Amos (“Mr Chia”) was at a restaurant along Geylang Road when he observed a man removing a phone from the victim’s bag. The man fled with the victim’s phone, and Mr Chia pursued him. Mr Chia successfully detained him and recovered the stolen phone. The man was handed over to the Police and arrested for Theft under Section 379 Penal Code 1871.
On 24 September 2024, the victim was taking the escalator at Paya Lebar MRT Station when she felt something brushed against her calf. She turned around and saw a man purportedly holding a phone with the camera lens facing upwards. She then confronted the man as she believed that the man has taken upskirt photos of her. During the confrontation, the man allegedly touched her before grabbing his phone and fled. Mr Mohammed Nurhakeem bin Abdul Salam (“Mr Nurhakeem”), who was nearby, heard the victim shouting for help and gave chase. He subsequently detained the man and handed him over to the Police. The man was arrested for Outrage of Modesty with use of Criminal Force under Section 354(1) Penal Code 1871 and Voyeurism under Section 377BB Penal Code 1871 respectively.
On 2 November 2024, the victim discovered that his motorcycle was stolen and reported to the Police. He also requested residents in his neighbourhood to provide any relevant information by placing flyers at the void deck, appealing for information. Mr Faizal Salleh bin Mohamed Kassim (“Mr Faizal”) responded to the request and provided his in-car camera footage to the Police under the Vehicles on Watch (VOW) 1 scheme. The footage proved critical to solving the case and the male suspect was arrested for Theft of Motor Vehicle under Section 379A Penal Code 1871.
On 4 November 2024, Mr Chan Poh Scott Nicholas (“Mr Chan”) shared a lift with a man who appeared intoxicated and unsteady. Mr Chan then noticed that the man appeared to be in possession of an item that resembled a ‘karambit’ knife. Believing the situation might escalate, Mr Chan called for the Police and followed the man at a safe distance to confirm his whereabouts. Through the information provided by Mr Chan, the man was subsequently arrested for Section 6(1) Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act 1958, Section 6(3) Protection from Harassment Act 2014, Section 8(a), Section 8(b) and Section 9 Misuse of Drugs Act 1973.
On 11 March 2025, the victim was notified by her friend that her handbag which she placed on the table at an eatery in Tampines was allegedly taken away by an unknown man. She then went out of the eatery to locate the man. She spotted the man and confronted him on the alleged theft. He returned the handbag to her. Shortly after she returned to the eatery, she discovered that her wallet was not in her handbag and probably still in the man’s possession. She approached a passerby Mr Rozali Bin Koming (“Mr Rozali”) for assistance and they searched for the man together. Mr Rozali spotted the man and confronted him, who tried to flee. Mr Lai Wai Kiat (“Mr Lai”) and Mr Hassin Shah Bin Immani Shah (“Mr Hassin”) who were in the area saw the situation and assisted to detain the man. Through their quick actions, the man was arrested for Theft under Section 379 Penal Code 1871.
Individuals Commended for Community Partnership Award (Individual)
On 11 October 2024, Mr Kuek Vee Han (“Mr Kuek”) attended to an elderly customer who wished to transfer $68,000 to a purported Government Official based overseas. Recognising that this might be a scam, Mr Kuek and his supervisor Ms Emilita Lim Ya Qi (“Ms Lim”) interviewed the customer who claimed that she was contacted by someone who claimed that he was an official from the Ministry of Health in China. He informed her that someone had used her identity to purchase 50 slabs of sleeping pills, thus she had to pay a fine. The customer was convinced that this allegation was genuine and disclosed her particulars. Prior to going to a bank, she had transferred approximately $313,000 to the scammers via internet banking. Mr Kuek and Ms Lim’s timely intervention prevented the customer from transferring more money. They had also proactively provided anti-scam advice to the customer and advised her to lodge a Police report.
On 9 January 2025, Mr Wong Yao Shi ("Mr Wong") attended to a female customer who needed help transferring money via PayNow to a local number, believed to be involved in a job scam. Mr Wong then sought the help of Ms Ng Kai Wei (“Ms Ng”) and Ms Emilita Lim Ya Qi (“Ms Lim”) who tried to convince the customer that she was a potential scam victim. Despite sharing real-life examples of job scams online, the customer remained unconvinced. Realising the gravity of the situation, Ms Lim contacted the Community Policing Unit Officers from Bedok Neighbourhood Police Centre who met up with the customer at the bank. It was only after this combined effort from the Police and bank staff, that the customer accepted that it was a scam and agreed not to transfer the money. The customer was later advised to lodge a Police report. Mr Wong, Ms Ng and Ms Lim’s timely intervention prevented the customer from being a victim of scam.
Commander of Bedok Police Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) Justin Wong, commended the award recipients for their public spiritedness and strong partnership with the Police to fight scams. He said “Today’s award recipients remind us that a safer community is built not just by the Police but by the vigilance and courage of everyday citizens. Our physical crime rate has remained stable but scams continue to be a scourge for Singaporeans. However, scams can be prevented, as these alert men and women have demonstrated. Their quick actions and partnership with the Police make all the difference. We urge the public to continue to Add, Check and Tell, to safeguard themselves from falling prey to scams”.
1 The VOW is an initiative that partners residents with in-vehicle cameras with the Police to keep the neighbourhood safe.
Annex
Group photo of AC Justin Wong with Public Spiritedness Award recipients▼
Group photo of AC Justin Wong with Community Partnership Award recipients▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
11 March 2025 @ 8:00 PM