Female S'pore police officer calls the shots during Orchard KTV joint raid: MHA & SPF behind-the-scenes video

What happens when the police carry out a raid of a nightlife establishment in Singapore?

A video by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in collaboration with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Apr. 24 provided a glimpse of what officers encounter behind the scenes.

The role of the police, as stated in the video, is to keep the community safe and allow businesses to do things lawfully, while on the lookout for unlicensed activities, as well as illegal and unsafe operations.

The video is the first episode of MHA’s #OnTheFrontline series.

Compliance officer

The video featured a female Compliance Management Unit (CMU) officer, Chua Yen Yen, who held the rank of Sergeant 2 (SGT 2).

She is a senior officer who handles permits and licences and conducts enforcement work.

Chua was seen briefing police officers at the Tanglin Police Division on the enforcement operation.

During the raid, she instructed her colleagues to check the work permits of women in the nightlife establishment, colloquially known as a "KTV" joint.

She also conversed with other officers in Mandarin, asking: “They are all staff here? Check if their names are on this list.”

She was also seen questioning a person in the joint: "You bring the girls for customers to choose?"

"That's not my job," the person replied.

Chua also requested documentation from another woman.

The woman claimed that she had a work permit “at this club”, but she left it at home.

Towards the end of the video, Chua could be seen arresting a woman by putting handcuffs on her.

Other women were seen being led into a police van that night.

Chua was awarded the Singapore Police Good Service Medal in 2025, according to the Government Gazette.

Background

The venue featured in the video is the same one that the police raided in December 2025 at Far East Shopping Centre in Orchard.

It was part of a multi-agency operation involving the SPF, Health Sciences Authority (HSA), Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA), Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB), and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF).

A total of 22 women were arrested, with 12 of them handcuffed.

The arrested were investigated for various offences, including illegal gambling and vice-related activities.