Following reports of two Traffic Police officers getting injured with a stun device allegedly by a man who resisted arrest, a member of the public penned a letter to The Straits Times (ST) forum to voice his concern.

In the letter published on Nov. 2, 2023, Desmond Cheng questioned why Traffic Police officers were not armed despite being at the frontlines.

The Singapore Police Force clarified in a reply on Nov. 7, 2023, that Traffic Police officers are, in fact, armed, but the police’s doctrine dictates that only “necessary force” should be used to deal with threats.

Background of case

The police announced on Oct. 30 through their Facebook page that they arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly attacking and injuring two police officers with a stun device.

The day before, on Oct. 29, the two officers, 32 and 39, pulled over a speeding vehicle along Victoria Street.

After the driver stopped his car by the roadside, he dashed out of his car and fled on foot, prompting the officers to give chase.

The officers managed to stop him at a back alley.

During the ensuing struggle, the man allegedly dropped a samurai sword and allegedly used a stun device to tase both officers repeatedly.

The man was eventually arrested with the help of a 22-year-old off-duty full-time national serviceman from the Singapore Civil Defence Force who happened to pass by.

A letter from a member of public

In his letter, Cheng pointed out that the job of the Traffic Police is often “hazardous” and thought they should have at least a taser gun to protect themselves.

"Traffic Police officers face all sorts of incidents, and some of the hooligan offenders would not hesitate to use force on them."

"Although the primary duty of Traffic Police is the enforcement of traffic laws, they have full powers of arrest if they see a crime taking place or are called to a crime scene, and yet they are unarmed."

Police's reply

An assistant director of the Singapore Police Force Public Affairs Department, Superintendent Lin Zhihao, thanked Cheng for his concern for the safety of the Traffic Police officers.

He clarified that Traffic Police officers are armed to enable them to carry out their duties effectively.

Lin explained that the officers’ priority was to prevent the man from hurting any members of the public and to apprehend him swiftly.

He wrote: “Their initial evaluation of the threat posed by the man was that contact tactics would be sufficient to contain and resolve the situation, guided by the Police’s operating doctrine to use only the necessary force to deal with the threat.”

Lin added that it was only while the officers were effecting his arrest that the man took out and used his stun device on them.

“The police have zero tolerance of violence against our officers and will take firm action against those who hurt our officers. We would also like to remind members of the public that it is an offence to carry an offensive or scheduled weapon in public.”

Top image via Singapore Police Force Website & Facebook