In a ceremony held at the Senior Police Officers’ Mess on 8 January 2025, 12 members of the public were commended for their public spiritedness and three individuals were commended for their strong community partnership with the Police.
The brief facts of some of these cases are as follows:
Cases Commended for Public Spiritedness Award
On 20 March 2024, Mr Muhammad Razali Bin Hashi and Mr Wong Khai Hong spotted a man acting suspiciously behind a female commuter whilst using the upriding escalator at Admiralty MRT station. They saw the man allegedly taking upskirt photos of the female commuter and assisted to detain the man till the Police’s arrival. The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
On 3 July 2024, Mr Chew Kian Leong, Daniel (“Mr Chew”) saw a man standing suspiciously behind a female commuter on an upriding escalator at Woodlands MRT station. He saw the man allegedly using a mobile phone to point under the female commuter’s skirt. The man fled when approached by Mr Chew. Following a short chase, the man was detained by Mr Chew, and the Police was called in. The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
On 19 August 2024, Mr Heng Kian Ping (“Mr Heng”) was taking the upriding escalator at Sengkang MRT station when he spotted a man acting suspiciously behind a female commuter. He saw the man allegedly using a mobile phone to point under the female commuter’s skirt. Mr Heng then alerted the victim and detained the man till the Police’s arrival. The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
On 24 August 2024, Mr Chay Jia Xing, Gordan was onboard a train from MacPherson MRT station when he saw a man allegedly taking photos of a female commuter who was seated. He approached the man at Tampines MRT station and alerted the station staff, who then informed the Police officers who were patrolling at the MRT station. There were obscene materials found in the man’s phone and he was subsequently arrested for possession of obscene materials under Section 292 of the Penal Code 1871.
On 27 August 2024, Ms Chelsea Zhao Yi Xin saw a man allegedly touching a female commuter’s rear with his hip whilst onboard the train. She approached the man and alerted the station staff who then called for the Police’s assistance. The man was subsequently arrested for outrage of modesty under Section 354 of the Penal Code 1871.
On 9 September 2024, Mr Wong Kang Tai (“Mr Wong”) was taking the upriding escalator at City Hall MRT station when he noticed a man allegedly attempting to point his phone’s camera under a victim’s dress. Mr Wong alerted the victim, and they detained the man till the Police’s arrival. The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
On 10 October 2024, Ms Zoe Lalitha (“Ms Zoe”) was at Serangoon MRT station when she spotted a male youth allegedly attempting to take upskirt photos of a female commuter. Ms Zoe alerted the victim and they approached the youth together with the MRT station staff. The youth’s phone was found with upskirt photos of other female victims. The youth was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
On 11 October 2024, Mr Wong Chun Yang was onboard a train from Bishan MRT station when he spotted a man allegedly pointing his mobile phone towards a female commuter’s rear. He alerted the victim and approached the man whose phone was found with voyeuristic and pornographic materials. The man was subsequently arrested for public nuisance and possession of obscene materials under Sections 290 and 292 of the Penal Code 1871 respectively.
On 27 October 2024, Ms Zhu Yuan Yuan was using the upriding escalator at Paya Lebar MRT station when she saw a man allegedly touching his genitals behind a female commuter. She alerted the MRT station staff and they searched for the man together. The Police officers managed to detain the man at Kembangan MRT station and he was also found in possession of a mobile phone not belonging to him. The man was subsequently arrested for obscene act and fraudulent possession under Section 294 of the Penal Code 1871 and Section 35 of the Miscellaneous Offences Act 1906 respectively.
On 1 November 2024, Mr Ng Jun Jie, Keith was taking the upriding escalator at Tampines MRT station when he noticed a man acting suspiciously behind a female commuter. He witnessed the man allegedly taking upskirt photos of the female commuter and approached to stop him. The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism under Section 377BB of the Penal Code 1871.
Individuals Commended for Community Partnership Award (Individual)
Three staff from SMRT Corporation Ltd were presented with the Community Partnership Award (Individual) in recognition of their commitment and contribution towards detecting and preventing crimes.
On 20 October 2024, Ms Tan How Miang (“Ms Tan”) from SMRT Corporation Ltd was alerted by a female commuter that she was harassed by a man in the train. Ms Tan managed to stop the man from leaving Orchard MRT station and the Police was called in. The man was subsequently arrested for public nuisance under Section 290 of Penal Code 1871.
Assistant Commissioner of Police (AC) Masagoes Idris Hussain, Commander of Public Transport Security Command, expressed his appreciation to the award recipients for their public spiritedness in making the public land transport network a safer and more secure place to commute. He said, “We value the strong partnership between the Police and the community which is the bedrock of our efforts in safeguarding the public land transport network. We hope that their acts will serve to inspire others to keep the community safe. The Police have zero tolerance towards sexual offenders who threaten the personal safety of those in the community, and offenders will be dealt with sternly in accordance with the law. We urge members of the public to be vigilant and report to the Police immediately if they come across such incidents.”
Group photo of AC Masagoes with the award recipients ▼
AC Masagoes presenting the Community Partnership Award to Ms Tan How Miang ▼
AC Masagoes presenting the Public Spiritedness Award to Ms Zoe Lalitha ▼
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
08 January 2025 @ 10:10 PM