175 honoured at Home Team event

Inspector who nabbed secret society members and condo guard who saved child win awards

Above: Inspector Goh Teck Heng, 46, received a Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award (Individual). Left: Condo security guard Mohammad Azmi Jaffar, 35, received a Public Spiritedness award.
Condo security guard Mohammad Azmi Jaffar, 35, received a Public Spiritedness award. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR
Above: Inspector Goh Teck Heng, 46, received a Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award (Individual). Left: Condo security guard Mohammad Azmi Jaffar, 35, received a Public Spiritedness award.
Above: Inspector Goh Teck Heng, 46, received a Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award (Individual). ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

It was around 5am on a Sunday in mid-2015 when Inspector Goh Teck Heng was alerted to an urgent case while at home, on standby duty.

There had been a scuffle between groups, and three people were stabbed multiple times. The Tanglin Police Division investigation officer rushed over to a club in Orchard Road to find the floor near the entrance smeared with blood.

"When we arrived, the assailants had already fled," said Insp Goh, 46, who is with the Violence Against Persons Squad.

It turned out to be one of the most serious incidents the officer, who has been in the police force for almost 30 years, has dealt with.

The victims were taken to hospital, and they survived.

Working around the clock, it took him and other officers about a week to track down the assailants, who were secret society members. They were later jailed.

Yesterday, Insp Goh received a Minister for Home Affairs National Day Award (Individual).

He was among 175 Home Team officers, volunteers, members of the public, and teams recognised at the Home Team National Day Observance Ceremony at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Delivering his National Day message, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said that a "spirit of unity" has helped Singapore to succeed, and many of the award recipients demonstrated this.

It is even more important today, when internal challenges such as changing demographics take place within external, geostrategic challenges, he added.

Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Second Minister for Home Affairs Desmond Lee and Parliamentary Secretary Amrin Amin were also present at the event.

Condominium security guard Mohammad Azmi Jaffar, 35, received a Public Spiritedness award. He had saved a young girl from drowning on the second day of Chinese New Year in January after her mother told him her child was floating face-down in the pool.

"She handed the kid to me, and I saw that the child's eyes had rolled back," said Mr Azmi, who is also a Singapore Civil Defence Force national serviceman.

His training kicked in, and he put the child over his shoulder to perform "back blows" to get the water out. She soon regained consciousness.

"The mother was crying, and crumpled to the ground after passing her child to me," he said, adding that while he had been nervous, it was important to stay calm.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on August 03, 2017, with the headline 175 honoured at Home Team event. Subscribe