SPF apologises after officer poses next to blue tent, will take 'internal action' against him

A bereaved relative has since accepted the SPF's apology.

Lee Wei Lin | June 29, 2022, 03:24 PM

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The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has apologised for one of their officers' behaviour after a photo of him posing next to a deceased person was posted online.

What happened

A Facebook user wrote about the incident which happened on Jun. 28, blasting the officer for showing the peace sign with both hands while standing next to a blue tent covering their aunt's body.

Photo via Facebook.

They wrote:

"That was my auntie lying on the ground, motionless, and decided to take her life. Instead of showing basic respect, this police officer decided it was funny and treated the situation as if it was a happy matter, like he just won a trophy, a game or a prize.

Is a dead body a prize to police officers? Is there no integrity on how a police officer should behave, especially when he is on duty, attending to a case involving casualty?

This is utterly unacceptable and disrespectful to my family and myself and anyone who has been through death in the family."

SPF apologises

The user has since taken down the post after the SPF apologised to them over a phone call.

They also commended the SPF's "fast action and assurance they will reinforce on the sensitivity when handling such cases".

SPF confirmed this in a statement.

While clarifying that the officer "was not taking a photo of himself at the scene", they acknowledged that "he had responded inappropriately to the presence of onlookers in the vicinity".

SPF emphasised that all officers are expected to "maintain professionalism in managing incidents", and they shared that they will be taking "internal action" against the officer involved.

Top photo via Facebook