Potong Pasir condo security officer, 73, assaulted by resident who had altercation with cabby

Elaine Lee
The Straits Times
April 21, 2023

A security officer at a condominium was assaulted repeatedly by a resident, leaving him injured and bleeding, the Union of Security Employees (USE) said in a Facebook post on Friday.

This is the third case of abuse that the union has attended to in April.

The 73-year-old security officer, who was not identified in the post, witnessed an altercation between a male resident and a taxi driver outside the guardhouse of the condominium in Potong Pasir in the early hours of April 14.

The resident then approached the security officer aggressively, shouting at him, USE said in its post.

“He then assaulted the security officer repeatedly, leaving him injured and bleeding,” it said. The USE added that it is “appalled at the egregious nature of this latest incident”.

The union’s general secretary Raymond Chin told The Straits Times: “While the reason for the attack is unknown, the aggressor came out of the taxi and started approaching the officer, who was standing at the guardhouse.

“He spoke but our officer did not understand him. The next moment, he started beating the officer up.”

The officer is now on medical leave and his company is taking care of his medical expenses.

The police said in a statement that at about 2.25am on April 14, it was alerted to an alleged case of assault at 18 Woodsville Close. A 73-year-old man was conscious when taken to hospital, and a 39-year-old man is assisting with investigations.

Mr Chin and USE’s mediation services supervisor Murugason Muthusamy visited the security officer on Wednesday and gave him some Quick Relief Fund vouchers. The fund is intended to assist union members who are in a tough financial situation.

Two other cases of abuse were also reported to the USE in April, both due to wheel-clamping of vehicles.

On April 13, a security officer deployed at WCEGA Plaza in Bukit Batok tried to wheel-clamp two vehicles that were blocking the fire escape route, as instructed by his complex manager.

A man reportedly spoke aggressively to the complex manager, demanding that the wheel clamps be released.

He also attempted to snatch the security officer’s mobile phone when the latter tried to record the incident.

On April 3, two security officers were allegedly berated and insulted by a resident at Thomson Grand condominium in Sin Ming after his car was clamped as it did not have the required decal to park in the space.

Fifteen confirmed cases of abuse have been reported since January, Mr Chin added.

“No one goes to work expecting to be assaulted. Our officers are merely doing their jobs, performing duties given to them,” the USE said in its Facebook post.

“We stand firmly against any acts of abuse on our officers, and will work closely with the authorities to ensure that acts of abuse are attended to. We will also offer our officers our fullest support to tide them through.”

Amendments to the Private Security Industry Act came into force on May 1, 2022, with enhanced penalties for offences by those who intentionally harass, assault or hurt security officers.

Those found guilty of intentionally harassing or causing alarm or distress to a security officer can be jailed for up to a year, fined up to $5,000, or both.

For assaulting or using criminal force on a security officer, one can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $7,500, or both.

For voluntarily causing hurt, one can be jailed for up to five years, fined up to $10,000, or both.

Security officers and agencies can report cases of abuse via the USE mobile app.