3 teens caught sneaking into fishing pond at Pasir Ris Town Park at 3am to fish, police investigations ongoing

Three teenagers, comprising two boys and a girl, were caught sneaking into a fishing pond operated by D'Best Recreation at Pasir Ris Town Park at 3:22am on Nov. 20.

Snuck in to fish

The closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed by the pond had captured the three teenagers tossing bait into the pond from outside the fence after operating hours.

The pond closes at 6pm and is usually covered with a protective net.

41-year-old Gene Wong, D'Best Recreation's general manager, told Mothership that they had installed motion detectors at all ponds on the premises.

As such, when the teenagers broke through the fence of the Sure Catch Pond, the system triggered alerts to staff and senior management.

He also noted that the two boys were seen vaping during the incident.

CCTV footage provided by Wong showed one boy in a black T-shirt casting a line and hooking a fish.

Another boy, dressed in a light-coloured T-shirt, is then seen climbing over a fence and lifting the safety net to pick up the fish, before tossing it onto the grass.

The girl who was with them is observed to be standing at the side, watching them.

The boys later switched roles, with the boy in light-coloured T-shirt taking the rod while the other in black T-shirt climbed over the fence to collect the fish.

Wong told Mothership that the trio caught a total three hybrid groupers weighing between 1kg and 1.2kg, valued at S$38 each.

He said that the girl took one fish, one slid back into the pond, and another was found dead after the teenagers tossed it onto the pavement while fleeing when staff approached.

Not their first offence

Wong told Shin Min Daily News that the teenagers were familiar faces at the pond and that this was not their first offence.

He explained that about two months ago, staff had caught them taking fish from the catch-and-release pond without permission.

As they were young, they were only given a verbal warning by the staff.

The group reoffended soon after, and they were once again given a warning by the management.

However, after paying to fish earlier that Thursday, the trio returned later that night to fish illegally, and the entire act was recorded on CCTV.

"This is their third violation. They have repeatedly ignored warnings, so we had no choice but to call the police," Wong said, adding that he hoped the report would deter future violations.

In response to Mothership's queries, police confirmed that they have received a report and investigations are currently ongoing.

Such incidents are common

Since taking over the business in 2020, Wong told Shin Min such incidents have been common, occurring almost every one to two days.

He states that the five-hectare site is large, making it challenging for staff to monitor.

According to Wong, some of the common violations include individuals setting up multiple fishing rods, smuggling fish out of the premises, or fishing outside of operating hours.

Some individuals also sneak in through areas where the fencing is lower, especially when staff are not looking.

To address the problem, more than 10 CCTV cameras have been installed across the premises, with additional monitoring equipment added to popular fishing spots in recent months.

Top photos courtesy of D'Best Recreation