In August 2021, 17 members of the public received the Public Spiritedness Awards (PSA) from the Public Transport Security Command (TransCom).
The 17 PSA recipients were recognized for their valiant efforts to assist the Police in incidents that took place in the public transport nodes such as MRT stations and bus interchanges. Three cases have been highlighted to share the efforts of the individuals involved.
In the first case, on 16 January 2021, Mr Jeremy Chang Yuan Jie and Ms Chan Jie Min were on board a moving train towards Pasir Ris when they noticed a man allegedly taking photos of a woman who was seated in the train. Mr Chang and Ms Chan immediately confronted the man and alerted the Police. The man was arrested for voyeurism.
In the second case, on 10 March 2021, Mr Tan Yang En and Ms Leow Xin Li, Mavis were on board a train between Clementi MRT station and Jurong East MRT station when they spotted a man taking photos of a woman. Mr Tan pressed the Emergency Communications Button for assistance immediately, while Ms Leow took a photo of the man’s act. The Police were alerted, and the man was arrested for voyeurism.
In the third case, on 22 March 2021, Ms Ho was on an escalator at Pioneer MRT station when she noticed a man allegedly trying to take an upskirt video of a woman. She confronted him and sought assistance from the SMRT staff. The Police were alerted, and the man was arrested for voyeurism.
Commander of TransCom, Assistant Commissioner of Police Fanny Koh Bee Yuan, said: “It is heartening to see members of the public stepping out of their comfort zone to report the commission of a crime. Their vigilance, resourcefulness, and willingness to step forward to alert the Police led to the arrest of the suspects and prevented more persons from becoming victims of crime. The 17 award recipients had displayed a strong sense of public spiritedness that demonstrated the important relationship between the public and Police to prevent, deter and detect crimes. This partnership will help to keep the public transport network safe and secure.”
Source: Singapore Police Force