SINGAPORE - There were 17 cases of road block evasions between January and March this year, an increase of 10 incidents compared to the same period last year.

There were a total of 44 reported cases of evasion of road blocks in 2015, police said in a news release on Sunday (May 8).

Of the cases this year, three occurred between Jan 17 and April 10 this year, involving men aged between 24 and 31.

As road blocks are conducted to deter and detect crimes, members of the public are advised to cooperate with police officers when approached, the police said.

Any person convicted of evading a road block shall be liable to a fine of up to $5,000 or up to 12 months imprisonment, or both.

In April, an early-morning chase involving an errant driver and a police car along Bedok Reservoir Road resulted in seven casualties.

The male driver - who refused to comply with an officer's instruction at a road block and sped off - and his passenger were subsequently arrested for traffic and drug-related offences.