An off-duty non-uniformed police officer was praised by the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) yesterday after he went to the aid of an elderly man who suffered a head injury when he fell off his bicycle.

Mr Khairul Farhan and his wife were among several passers-by who helped the man after the accident, which happened near the Pasir Ris Elias Community Club on Friday evening last week, a day after Racial Harmony Day .

The incident came to light when Mr Khairul, in a Facebook post on Saturday, wrote about how they cared for the elderly man until the ambulance arrived.

"What happened last night reaffirmed my belief that racial harmony is still strong in Singapore," he wrote in the post, which was shared more than 2,000 times.

He also highlighted the efforts of a Bangladeshi man, who "stood behind me to shield me and the old man from the rain while I was still applying pressure" to the man's head. Mr Khairul used a spare shirt to apply pressure to the wound to stanch the flow of blood.

He also wrote about a Chinese woman who "shielded the victim with an umbrella while asking the old man for his family member's contact", an Indian man who helped move the bicycle out of the way, and a Malay man who rushed to a nearby clinic to get a doctor.

An SCDF spokesman said the man was taken to Changi General Hospital. His injuries are believed to be not serious.

"Khairul, we're proud to have such an exemplary member of the Home Team like you," SCDF said in a Facebook post. "And kudos to all the other #CommunityFirst- Responders, including Khairul's wife, who had worked together in one way or another to aid a fellow man in distress," it added.

Mr Khairul, who posted a picture of his hand, all bloodied from tending to the victim, said he was touched by the unconditional help from fellow Singaporeans as well as a foreigner. "What gave me hope that the uncle can make it was that he was asking for his bicycle, even when he was being helped into the ambulance."