SINGAPORE - A quick-thinking security guard who jumped on a motorbike to help police chase down three illegal immigrants who had swum ashore at Tuas has been honoured for his public spiritedness.

Mr Logaisraja Nadurajah, 32, was on night duty at a construction site on Oct 21 when he spotted three suspicious men trespassing in the compound.

He suspected that they were illegal immigrants who had swum ashore and immediately gave chase while alerting the police.

Two of the trespassers leapt into a taxi, while the third was out of sight but this did not deter Mr Nadurajah, who continued his chase on a motorbike.

The three were eventually apprehended by the police in an operation involving close to 100 officers.

Mr Nadurajah, who works for Link8 Security, also encountered illegal immigrants near the construction site off Tuas South Boulevard around two years ago.

"Singapore is my home, so if something were to happen, I will not hesitate to react quickly," he said.

His quick-thinking landed him a Public Spiritedness Award on Thursday (Feb 27). He was one of three recipients commended for helping the police.

Certis auxiliary police officer Hidayat Hassan, 37, was another person honoured.

He was off duty when he was approached on Oct 19 by two police officers searching for a missing seven-year-old girl.

He agreed to help and joined in to survey the Bukit Panjang estate close to where he lived.

Mr Hidayat found the girl at a junction in Bukit Panjang Ring Road and took her to the police station.

The father of two said: "I have a daughter who is 10 years old, and I imagined the devastation that would follow if I were to lose her."

Ride-hailing app Grab has also been a key community partner to the police. Its public liaison officer, Mr Desmond Ng, helped officers nab suspects involved in a housebreaking case on Nov 14.

This was part of a two-week long investigation involving the theft of a safe box with jewellery and money amounting to about $70,000.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Commander Devrajan Bala presented the recipients with their awards at a ceremony at Jurong Police Division.

"I am pleased to see the strong partnership between the police and the community. The police cannot be everywhere all the time and we need the public to be our eyes and ears," he said.

"We hope that the strong sense of civic-mindedness and courage displayed by these exemplary citizens will inspire others to do the same."