Police trained to fire at centre of body to stop threat of serious injury or death: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE - Some of the recent violent incidents involved known drug users who were armed and had to be stopped to prevent great harm, the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) said in a statement to The Straits Times.

A recent case which was widely reported involved a knife-wielding drug offender - Ng Eng Kui, 64 - who was shot dead after a confrontation with police officers at Block 33 Bendemeer Road on March 23.

The officers fired three Taser shots at Ng and retreated, but he continued to advance towards them. He was then shot in the chest.

While most people understood the police's actions, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam noted that some have asked whether it was possible to shoot to injure, rather than kill.

He said in Facebook post on Saturday (March 26): "Our officers are trained to fire at the centre of the body to stop an imminent threat of grievous hurt or death.

"This offers a higher probability of hitting and reduces risk of injury to innocent bystanders."

Mr Shanmugam said the man had ignored orders to drop his knife and continued moving towards the officers.

Although they fired their Tasers, he was not incapacitated and continued to go at the officers with the knife. One of the officers then fired a shot, which hit the man.

"The man is wanted by CNB. He has a history of drug abuse, and suspected drug apparatus was found in his flat.

"He was also under investigations for several offences, including rash act and voluntarily causing hurt to a police officer," added Mr Shanmugam.

CNB did not provide specifics of the cases in its reply to questions by ST but referred to violent incidents in the past few weeks.

On March 14, a 37-year-old man is said to have swung a sword at a pedestrian in Buangkok Crescent, causing his victim to suffer a cut on his left arm and two cuts on his left shoulder.

Passers-by wrestled the man - Fadhil Yusop - to the ground before the police arrested him. He had allegedly popped some pills before the incident. Fadhil was charged with one count of voluntarily causing hurt.

In its statement, CNB noted research has shown that those under the influence of drugs are prone to aggression, violent behaviour, hallucination, and loss of control of their senses and reality.

"Preliminary findings are that the subjects involved in several violent incidents in the past few weeks, which endangered the lives of the public and the responding police officers, have a history of drug abuse," the bureau said.

It added that they could have been under the influence of drugs at the time of the incidents.

"They had exhibited violent and reckless behaviour, and were armed, and could have caused even greater harm had they not been stopped in time," CNB added.

In response to queries from ST, a police spokesman said that situations involving those armed with weapons endangering the safety of the public can be dynamic.

"In some incidents, they may turn violent and threaten the safety of the public and responding police officers," said the spokesman.

"The involved persons, including police officers, do get hurt at times.

"Hence, officers have to swiftly consider the various force options and take decisive actions to subdue persons who pose a danger to the public or to them."

Dr Annabelle Chow, principal clinical psychologist at Annabelle Psychology, said drug use by itself might not cause violent behaviour, but it can disrupt brain functions responsible for impulse control or cognitive processing.

She added: "Substance use can lead to abusers experiencing irritability, mood swings, paranoia or increased aggression."

In another incident also on March 14, a 33-year-old man allegedly injured two passers-by with a razor blade at Block 59 Strathmore Avenue in Queenstown.

Mohd S. Muhibullah Said Abdullah, who was arrested by police, claimed he had heard voices in his head telling him to attack people.

Aside from a history of drug use, Muhibullah, who is facing two charges of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon, also has past records with the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Associate professor of sociology at the National University of Singapore Tan Ern Ser said the outbreak of violence could be due to mental health issues, or drug-induced, or both.

"One could blame (stress related to) Covid-19 rules, but I doubt it is a factor, given that armed violence is taking things to the extreme, and most people are unlikely to get to such extremes," he added.

But Dr Chow said most people with mental illness are not violent.

She added: "The stereotype of association between mental illness and violence often leads to increased stigma against individuals with mental illness. This can lead to increased social isolation and discrimination by society, which are the opposite of what they require."

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Recent cases of violent attacks involving weapons

The police have taken note of the recent spate of violent attacks and threatening behaviour by individuals armed with weapons. Here are the cases:

Ng Eng Kui, 64, was shot dead during a confrontation with police officers at Block 33 Bendemeer Road. The officers fired three Taser shots at Ng, who was wielding a knife, and retreated, but he continued to advance towards them. He was shot in the chest and was pronounced dead that day. The police said they will be investigating if he was on drugs during the incident.

A man who wanted to be known only as Mr Chua told The Straits Times that he was struck multiple times on the back of his head with a sharp object near Clarke Quay. He needed 20 stitches for cuts up to 10cm long. The police confirmed that a report has been made and that investigations are ongoing.

Ng Hui Ooh, 77, allegedly swung a chopper at another man during a fight at Bendemeer Market and Food Centre. Preliminary investigations show that he did not hit anyone with the weapon. Ng was charged with criminal intimidation and with being in possession of a weapon in a public place.

A police officer suffered a bruise on his cheek after Leonard Goh Yew Cheng, 27, allegedly threw a knife at him in Bukit Batok. When confronted by police officers, he allegedly pulled out the knife from under his T-shirt and threw it at the officer. Goh was charged with one count of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty and two counts of possessing offensive weapons.

Mohd S. Muhibullah Said Abdullah, 33, is accused of injuring two people with a razor blade at Block 59 Strathmore Avenue in Queenstown. He was handed two charges of voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon.

Fadhil Yusop, 37, was seen wielding a sword and swinging it at a pedestrian and hitting passing cars in Buangkok Crescent. He was accused of injuring the pedestrian, who suffered one cut on his left arm and two cuts on the left shoulder. Fadhil was charged with one count of voluntarily causing hurt.

Soo Cheow Wee, 49, is accused of slashing a 41-year-old man on a pavement near Block 420A Clementi Avenue 1. He then allegedly charged towards another man, 20, outside Clementi Police Division while brandishing a knife. He was shot by police during a stand-off and was taken to hospital with a gunshot wound. He was charged with one count each of assault and criminal intimidation.