The police on Wednesday said investigations with regard to the defaced war memorial at Esplanade Park are ongoing.

They said they had received a call at 7.17am on Wednesday morning reporting that graffiti had been sprayed on the Cenotaph. The word "democracy" was sprayed in red. The dates 1914 to 1918 had also been axed out.

The war memorial, which commemorates the sacrifice of men who perished during World War I and II, is located along Connaught Drive. The markings had already been removed by cleaners although faint stains remained when The Straits Times visited at noon.

The commander of Central Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Daniel Tan said: "Spraying and defacing a war memorial is a totally disrespectful and despicable act. Police will spare no resources to bring the perpetrators to justice."