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A Certis enforcement officer who went viral in 2019 for kicking an errant personal mobility device (PMD) rider off his device and sending him flying was fired from his job.

PMD rider jailed

On Dec. 11, 2019, the officer was suspended from active duty pending investigations into the incident, which took place along Bedok Reservoir Road.

The Straits Times (ST) reported on Aug. 16, 2021 that the enforcement officer, Kishok Kumar Ragu, was issued a 12-month conditional warning by the police on June 18, 2020.

He was dismissed from the company in the same month.

A Certis spokesperson told ST that the company has a zero-tolerance policy against excessive use of force, and stern action will be taken against those who breach protocols.

The PMD rider, 28-year-old Goh Ting Feng, was sentenced to jail for six days on Apr. 6, 2021, for riding an unregistered and non-compliant PMD on public roads, and for committing a rash act.

An additional charge for failing to stop his device when required to do so was taken into consideration, reported ST.

Goh's PMD at the time weighed 30.54kg, well above the legal limit of 20kg, and was impounded.

What happened?

On Dec. 11, 2019, dashcam footage surfaced of an enforcement officer attempting to catch a speeding PMD rider.

The officer proceeded to kick the rider from the side, sending him hurtling onto the pavement.

Reactions online included praise for the decisiveness of the enforcement officer and even support for the taking of a hard stance against errant PMD users.

However, there were those who disagreed with the officer's actions, and said he should not have taken the law into his own hands.

The Land Transport Authority said that Certis Cisco had been contracted to carry out enforcement.

Officers were conducting enforcement duties when they spotted Goh riding on the road and signalled him to stop. However, he took "evasive action" and refused to stop, which prompted the chase.

"A Certis Cisco officer who was stationed at the next junction resorted to kicking his device when the rider refused to stop," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson said that the rider was travelling on the road at high speed and could cause serious injuries to members of the public or himself.

Certis added that it would conduct a disciplinary inquiry into the incident.

Goh suffered abrasions on his right elbow and right knee and received medical attention from paramedics at the scene.

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Top image screenshots from video circulated on Telegram