SINGAPORE: Two Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) officers have been removed from operational duties pending a police investigation, after they engaged in a physical altercation with a truck driver near Woodlands Checkpoint, ICA said on Saturday (Dec 22).
ICA’s statement comes after a video of two officers hitting a man was widely circulated on social media.
AdvertisementIn the video, the officers can be seen standing over a man, who is sitting on a grass patch next to a road, and hitting him several times on various parts of his body.
“ICA takes a serious view of this incident. Our officers are expected to discharge their duties professionally,” ICA said.
ICA said in their statement that the incident, which happened at 4.40pm on Friday, happened after the truck driver disregarded the officers’ instructions and “drove recklessly” into their direction.
AdvertisementAdvertisementPreliminary investigations show that the two officers - who were performing traffic control duties at Woodlands Crossing - were directing the container truck which was on its way to Woodlands Checkpoint for departure clearance, ICA said.
However, the truck driver - who was driving on the rightmost lane of Woodlands Town Centre Road - disregarded the officers’ instructions and drove recklessly across three lanes into their direction, it added. The truck driver's actions endangered the lives of the officers and other road users, ICA said.
The officers subsequently confronted the driver and engaged in a physical altercation with him.
“ICA does not condone such behaviour, even if the driver may have disregarded the safety of others, and has referred both officers to the police following our preliminary investigations,” ICA said.
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