Two individuals, aged 26 and 58, are currently cooperating with the police in their investigations into an alleged assault on a 56-year-old security officer at a condominium on Kitchener Road in Little India. The incident occurred on Sunday morning.
According to a statement by the Security Association Singapore (SAS) on Monday, the security supervisor, Mr. Suraskumar, was conducting routine entry checks at City Square Residences, located next to City Square Mall, at approximately 6:30 a.m. The attack, captured on closed-circuit television cameras, involved the security officer being punched and kicked by two men.
In the footage shared by the association, the assailants can be seen throwing punches at Mr. Suraskumar, causing him to fall backward against the condominium's vehicle gantry near the entrance.
A police report has been filed, and Mr. Suraskumar is currently in the process of recovering from the attack, as stated in the SAS's statement. The police were alerted to the assault case at 4 Kitchener Link around 6:50 a.m., and Mr. Suraskumar was conscious when he was taken to the hospital. Investigations into the incident are ongoing.
The Union of Security Employees (USE) has also been informed about the attack, and the video footage has been shared with the authorities, according to the statement, without providing further details.
Mr. Suresh Ponniah, the managing director of Trek Investigations and Security Management Services, the company employing Mr. Suraskumar, expressed a serious commitment to ensuring the safety and security of their employees. He emphasized that they strive to enable their employees to perform their duties safely and without fear of harm.
The management of the condominium, in the same statement, stated their "zero tolerance" for any form of verbal or physical abuse directed at their frontline teams, including security personnel. They extended their duty of care to the injured staff member and pledged full support to the authorities in their investigations, while calling for collective condemnation of such abuse and the enforcement of the maximum extent of the law.
Executive director Jourdan Sabapathy of the SAS condemned the attack and highlighted the findings of a USE survey conducted in 2022, which revealed that four out of ten security officers faced abuse despite amendments to the Private Security Industry Act. The amendments, effective from May 2022, introduced stricter penalties for offenders who intentionally caused harassment, alarm, distress, assault, or harm to security officers.
Mr. Sabapathy stressed the need for proactive engagement with all stakeholders to educate and change mindsets, as well as to provide support to frontline workers in carrying out their duties. As an example, SAS plans to issue guidelines in June for building owners and facility managers to combat abuse against security officers. These guidelines will include educating residents on the professional treatment of officers and the penalties associated with abusive behavior.
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