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A security officer at City Square Residences was allegedly assaulted by a group of people while performing regular entry checks at City Square Residences.

The 56-year-old officer, a security supervisor from security agency Trek Investigations and Security Management Services Pte Ltd (Trek), was injured as a result.

He was subsequently conveyed conscious to the hospital and is now recuperating.

CCTV footage of the incident has been shared with the authorities, said the Security Association Singapore (SAS).

In response to Mothership's queries, the police stated that on May 7, 2023 at 6.52am, they were alerted to a case of assault at 4 Kitchener Link. The police also confirmed that two men, aged 26 and 58, are assisting with investigations into an alleged case of voluntarily causing hurt to security officer.

The incident

According to footage seen by Mothership, two men were involved in the incident.

In the clip, an older man dressed in white and a younger man in black gesticulate to the officer, who is standing outside the condominium's guardhouse.

A woman dressed in black can also be seen.

At some point, the officer backs off, as the two men move towards him.

The woman stretches out her arms as if to stop the men.

The officer retreats hastily, knocking over a traffic cone as the man in white throws punches at him.

As the two men continue to advance, the officer stumbles backwards and knocks into the carpark barrier, bending it in the process.

The man in white also attempts to kick the officer, who evades it.

Another video of the incident showed what appears to be a later altercation.

At the drop-off point of the condominium, the same man in white pins the officer down on the pavement.

Another man dressed in formal black attire is repeatedly saying "Stop!" with his voice raised.

After some time, the man in white stands up and moves away from the officer, but continues to point a finger at him.

As the officer staggers to his feet, a younger lady dressed in black moves in between to separate them.

Before the video cuts out, the older man can be heard shouting, "He never shout at you...Why you got problem inside of you?"

In yet another clip, the man in white hurls a Hokkien vulgarity at the security officer.

Security agency cooperating with authorities to investigate matter

Trek Managing Director, Suresh Ponniah, stated that the company takes the safety and security of its employees very seriously, and is deeply concerned about the incident.

"We are cooperating with the authorities to investigate the matter and identify the culprits responsible for this heinous act," he added.

'Zero tolerance for abuse': Condo management

Mothership also understands that the condominium's management provided immediate support and assistance to the officer.

The chairman of City Square Residences' Management Corporation Strata Title, Barathan Pasupathi, emphasised zero tolerance for any verbal or physical abuse to all frontline teams including security personnel.

"This incident clearly goes against our community values based on mutual respect, inclusivity, and harmony," he added.

An ongoing problem

SAS Executive Director, Jourdan Sabapathy, condemned the abuse and expressed that it is an ongoing problem, with the majority of cases against security officers involving verbal abuse.

A survey by the Union of Security Employees last year showed that four in 10 security officers have faced abuse, a result that Sabapathy said was "consistent year on year".

In April this year alone, three cases of abuse against security officers were handled by the union.

This is despite the amendments made to the Private Security Industry Act last year, which has created specific offences with enhanced penalties for abuse and harassment of security officers.

SAS to issue guidelines to combat abuse against officers

“It is not enough for us to just rely on the law and enforcement or be reactive whenever an incident occurs." Sabapathy shared.

He commented on the need to be proactive in engaging stakeholders to educate and change mindsets, as well as to support frontline workers in carrying out their duties.

Currently, SAS has been working with security agencies to provide legal assistance to abused officers.

They have also encouraged their members to display anti-abuse decals and to provide body cameras to their security officers as a deterrent.

In June 2023, SAS will be issuing a set of guidelines for building owners and facility managers, on actions they can take to combat abuse against officers.

It aims to educate residents and tenants on how to treat officers fairly and professionally, as well as on the penalties for abuse.

Top image from screenshots of video provided by Security Association Singapore.