SINGAPORE: Members of the public who get involved in fighting crime should act lawfully and not harm others or themselves, the police advised.
"Community involvement remains an essential pillar in our fight against crime," police said on Friday (Oct 9) in response to queries from CNA.
AdvertisementAdvertisement"Whenever possible, members of the public are advised to report any suspected criminal activity to the police first."
This comes after a 46-year-old man caught taking upskirt photos died after he was restrained by witnesses along Niven Road in November last year.
A coroner found that the five witnesses did not use excessive force on the suspect, and that he died due to a "natural disease process".
[h=3]READ: Witnesses did not use ‘excessive force’ to restrain man who died after being caught taking upskirt photos: Coroner[/h] AdvertisementAdvertisementNevertheless, the coroner had said that while public participation in crime fighting ought to be encouraged, reporting to the police should be the "preferred and safer option".
"In some situations, members of the public may be able to intervene to prevent or mitigate loss to life and property, or the harm caused from the commission of crime, before the arrival of police officers," police said on Friday.
"In such situations, members of the public are advised to act lawfully and not put themselves or others in harm’s way, and to alert the police to the incident as soon as possible."
In 2019, about one in four arrests involving offences like outrage of modesty, robbery and housebreaking were made with the public's help, police highlighted.
"Such public-assisted arrests can range from providing information to the police, making citizen’s arrests or alerting the police to a crime in progress," it added.
Let's block ads! (Why?)
More...