Trio honoured by police for public spiritedness

(From far left) Security officer Logaisraja Nadurajah, Certis auxiliary police officer Hidayat Hassan and Grab liaison officer Desmond Ng with their Public Spiritedness awards at Jurong Police Division last week.
(From left) Security officer Logaisraja Nadurajah, Certis auxiliary police officer Hidayat Hassan and Grab liaison officer Desmond Ng with their Public Spiritedness awards at Jurong Police Division last week. ST PHOTO: TIMOTHY DAVID

A quick-thinking security guard who jumped on a motorcycle to help police chase down three illegal immigrants who had swum ashore at Tuas last year has been honoured for his public spiritedness.

Mr Logaisraja Nadurajah, 32, was on night duty at a construction site on Oct 21 when he spotted three suspicious men trespassing on the property.

He suspected that they were illegal immigrants who had swum ashore and immediately gave chase while alerting the police.

Two of the trespassers leapt into a taxi, while the third was out of sight, but this did not deter Mr Nadurajah, who continued his chase on the motorcycle.

The three were eventually arrested by the police in an operation involving close to 100 officers.

Mr Nadurajah, who works for Link8 Security, had also encountered illegal immigrants near the construction site off Tuas South Boulevard about two years ago.

"Singapore is my home, so if something were to happen, I would not hesitate to react quickly," he said.

His quick-thinking landed him a Public Spiritedness Award last Thursday, and he was one of three recipients commended for helping the police.

Certis auxiliary police officer Hidayat Hassan, 37, was another person honoured.

He was off duty when he was approached on Oct 19 by two police officers searching for a missing seven-year-old girl.

He agreed to help and combed the Bukit Panjang estate close to where he lived. Mr Hidayat found the girl at a junction at Bukit Panjang Ring Road and took her to a police station.

The father of two said: "I have a daughter who is 10 years old, and I imagined the devastation that would follow if I were to lose her."

Ride-hailing app Grab has also been a key community partner of the police. Its public liaison officer, Mr Desmond Ng, helped the police nab suspects involved in a housebreaking case on Nov 14.

This was part of a two-week long investigation involving the theft of a safe box with jewellery and money amounting to about $70,000.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Devrajan Bala presented the trio with their awards at a ceremony at Jurong Police Division.

"I am pleased to see the strong partnership between the police and the community. The police cannot be everywhere all the time and we need the public to be our eyes and ears," he said.

"We hope that the strong sense of civic-mindedness and courage displayed by these exemplary citizens will inspire others to do the same."

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on March 02, 2020, with the headline Trio honoured by police for public spiritedness. Subscribe