Lauded for halting crime on public transport

Two men who intervened when they realised that women were being targeted by voyeurs were lauded by the Public Transport Security Command (TransCom).

Mr Lee Jun Jie, 25, and Mr Chan Heng Wei, 23, were among 15 people who received the Public Spiritedness Award (PSA) from TransCom this month. They were recognised for their efforts to assist the police in incidents that happened on public transport.

Mr Lee was stuck on a crowded train on March 16, when he spotted a man behaving suspiciously.

The man, who was standing, was adjusting his briefcase that was placed on the floor near a woman.

Mr Lee noticed that a phone was placed on the briefcase, and the man had positioned it under the skirt of the woman, who was also standing.

Mr Lee confronted the man and demanded to see his phone.

On it, Mr Lee found several upskirt photos of the woman.

After the woman confirmed that she wanted to report the matter to the police, Mr Lee escorted the man out of the train and reported the incident to officers at MacPherson MRT station.

The man was subsequently arrested for voyeurism.

Speaking to the media yesterday, Mr Lee, who is a supply chain planner, said: "I wasn't really shocked because in my NS (national service) days, I was a police officer, so I regularly encountered this kind of crime... But the normal procedure as a member of the public is to inform the right authorities and let them address it accordingly."

He added: "I was surprised that the guy was very cooperative."

Mr Chan, a Singapore University of Social Sciences finance undergraduate, was walking towards Ang Mo Kio MRT station on Oct 15 when he noticed a man pointing his phone under a woman's skirt on the escalator.

Mr Chan alerted the MRT staff before getting on the same train carriage as the man and woman.

Mr Chan then told the woman that he had seen the man taking upskirt photos of her. The police later found the man and arrested him.

Mr Chan said: "I know of friends who don't wear safety shorts under their skirts and I wouldn't want this to happen to them."

Commander of TransCom, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Fanny Koh Bee Yuan, said of the PSA recipients: "They have showcased the strong partnership between the police and the community that will continue to help keep the public transport network safe and secure."

Public action is not always straightforward.

In November last year, several concerned residents restrained a 46-year-old man who was allegedly spotted taking upskirt videos of a woman at Little India MRT station.

Five people detained him in Niven Road after a short chase.

When police officers arrived at the scene, the suspect was motionless and had no pulse.

Officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the man until Singapore Civil Defence Force paramedics arrived. But he was pronounced dead.

In a subsequent hearing, State Coroner Kamala Ponnampalam found that the members of the public had not used excessive force and his death was due to a "natural disease process". But she added that it is preferred and safer for the police to handle such matters.

Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the police said that whenever possible, the public should report any suspected criminal activity to them first.

"Community involvement remains an essential pillar in our fight against crime."

But in some situations, the police said members of the public may be able to intervene to prevent or mitigate loss to life and property, or the harm caused from the crime, before officers arrive.