Ex-cop jailed for pointing loaded service revolver at police NSF

A police sergeant drew his loaded service revolver and pointed it at a full-time police national serviceman (NSF) after he did not volunteer for a visit to a supermarket as part of community engagement duties.

Mohammad Khairul Katmadi, 40, had committed the offence as a joke, a district court heard yesterday. It also heard that the NSF, a special constable, did not report the incident promptly because he wanted to complete his national service without complications and feared repercussions.

Mohammad Khairul was sentenced to five days' jail yesterday after he pleaded guilty to one count of harassment.

The court heard that he has since resigned and is a part-time deliveryman.

His lawyer, Mr Gogulakannan Suppayya, said: "(Mohammad Khairul) thought he was making the point in a comedic way by using his revolver as a prop. Unfortunately, his joke fell flat."

The court heard that at about 5pm on March 30, 2020, Mohammad Khairul, Sergeant Daniel Tan Chee Lun and two police NSFs were doing community engagement rounds and parked at Block 683 Hougang Avenue 8.

Sgt Tan got out of the car and asked the others to accompany him for the engagement visit to a Giant supermarket. Neither NSF volunteered and they stayed in the car.

Mohammad Khairul got out of the car, leaned in through the open passenger door, unbuckled his revolver holster and drew the gun.

He pointed it at one of the NSFs who could see the bullet heads through the chambers of the revolver and was alarmed, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Sunil Nair.

Mohammad Khairul did not cock the revolver, activate its laser beam, or put his finger into the trigger guard, the DPP added. After a few seconds, he holstered the weapon and went to the Giant supermarket.

The two NSFs decided not to report the matter as they wanted to complete their NS and were worried about complications or hostility from Mohammad Khairul.

But the matter was brought up in conversation with another regular officer in June 2020 and a police report was lodged.

Mr Gogulakannan argued that his client believed he was perceived by his colleagues as someone who often joked around, and this was why the victim did not report the incident immediately.

DPP Nair argued for five to seven days' imprisonment and said: "Service revolvers are not issued to police officers to further their personal agendas, play pranks or perform jokes."

On the delay in reporting the incident, DPP Nair said: "This shows the degree of influence that the uniformed service, and the regular officers representing it, have on the lives of ordinary national servicemen... Such offences can be hard to detect and should be deterred."

The police said Mohammad Khairul resigned on July 29, 2020.

They added that all officers are drilled on the safe handling of firearms and warned against any misuse. Officers are also assessed to see if they are suitable to carry firearms, including through supervisory checks and engagement sessions. They are also reminded to report misuse.

The police said there are processes in place for reporting such incidents and all complaints are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.