Man charged after he allegedly assaulted security officer in Bukit Batok condominium

SINGAPORE – A man who allegedly assaulted a security officer was charged with an offence under the Private Security Industry Act on Friday.

Penalties for those who harass, assault or hurt security officers were enhanced in May 2022.

Now, those who voluntarily cause hurt to a security officer can be jailed for up to five years and fined up to $10,000.

Ajitpal Singh, 45, is accused of hitting, grabbing and pushing Mr Afinde Mohamad at the Le Quest condominium in Bukit Batok Street 41 at around 12.20am on Aug 29, 2022.

The police said earlier that they were alerted to the case at around 12.45am that day, but did not disclose why the incident occurred.

Singh’s case has been adjourned to March 15.

This is not the first case involving violence against a security officer to have made the headlines in recent months.

In October 2022, a

Bentley driver who threatened to run down a 62-year-old security officer

outside Red Swastika School in Bedok was jailed for eight weeks and fined $600.

Neo Hong Chye, 61, was also disqualified from holding all classes of driving licences for 12 months.

He was driving his granddaughter to school on Jan 11, 2022, when the incident took place. Because he bypassed a queue of cars, he was stopped from entering the premises.

The security officer had to move backwards when Neo inched the Bentley forward after he was told to use a side gate.

Neo later inched the car forward while the security officer was standing in front of it, causing the latter to stumble backwards.

Separately,

a man assaulted a security officer outside the Giant hypermart

in Tampines Retail Park on July 4, 2022.

The Malaysian officer, Mr Sures Perumal, 46, did not retaliate as he had been trained not to do so. Instead, he was told to report the matter to his supervisor and the authorities.

He said it was the first time he was attacked at work after working as a security officer in Singapore for a decade.

Footage provided by Security Association Singapore (SAS) showed a man punching and shoving Mr Sures after the latter advised him to put on a mask before entering the premises.

The police later arrested a 57-year-old man under the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act.

The SAS has since condemned the incident.

Its president, Mr Raj Joshua Thomas, who is a Nominated MP, had earlier said: “Security officers play an integral role in ensuring our safety and security... we must have zero tolerance for any abuse of our officers.”

He added that everyone has a responsibility to support and cooperate with security officers.