Cases of abuse against Home Team officers have been on the rise, said Minister of Home Affairs K. Shanmugam.

In his speech at an awards ceremony yesterday, he said such behaviour would not be condoned and offenders can expect harsher punishment.

For instance, Australian Jason Peter Darragh had his sentence increased from six months and two weeks to eight months on Sept 19, on appeal by the prosecution.

In April, a drunk and unruly Darragh had attacked police officers at Changi Airport .

Mr Shanmugam said the ministry was working with the Attorney-General's Chambers to press for harsher deterrent sentences for those who obstruct officers, particularly if they are violent, from carrying out their duties.

He said attacks on MHA officers had increased more than 65 per cent between 2014 and 2016. There were 484 cases in 2016, which amounted to more than one case of physical or verbal abuse each day.

Other recent cases of physical violence against officers include include one in February when a drunken warehouse storekeeper spat in a police officer's face twice while he was being taken in a police car to the Police Cantonment Complex. Lim Keng Yang, 28, was jailed six weeks.