Officers from SOC Broke into AMK HDB Flat After 5 Hours of Negotiation

If you heard yelling and banging on doors, you’d probably expect to see your neighbours having an argument.

Instead, residents from Block 508 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8 saw law enforcement officers having a stand-off with two of their neighbours.

Here’s what happened.

Refused to Cooperate with CNB, SOC Called To Force Their Way In

Two men, aged 52 and 53, locked themselves in an eighth-storey unit with their 77-year-old mother on 22 March.

When the Central Narcotics Bureau officers came to the unit to conduct an enforcement operation, likely for investigations of drug-related offences, the pair refused to cooperate.

The police got a call for assistance at 6:58am, and had to send officers from the elite Special Operations Command (SOC) there. Officers from the Crisis Negotiation Unit, which includes psychologists trained in negotiation tactics, were also there.

Two life safety air packs were also deployed, with Singapore Civil Defence Force’s Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team on standby. The air packs are used when there is a risk of falling from height, which means that the police thought that the men might try escaping from the windows.

As it seemed like the two men may pose a danger to themselves and their mother, the SOC eventually forced their way in after five tense hours.

The two men were arrested at 11:55am for criminal intimidation and suspected drug-related offences. One person was taken to Sengkang General Hospital, while another person refused to be taken there despite minor injuries.

CNB Raided Same Unit in 2016

Yep, this isn’t the first time the residents saw a police confrontation in their block.

While speaking to The Straits Times, the residents revealed that CNB had actually raided the same unit on 31 March 2016, and that there was a 13-hour stand-off then.

Yep, 13 hours. At least it was only five hours this time?

It was reported back then that a man had locked himself and his mother in the flat, and he had threatened to kill both of them during the stand-off.

The residents were understandably startled when they saw history repeating itself right before their eyes, and residents living on the floors below the unit even locked their windows in case the men decided to climb down. Thankfully, no one else was hurt.

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Following this incident, Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC, posted on Facebook saying that her team have checked in with residents. She also urged any residents who want to contact the MPs to email her.

Investigations by the police and CNB are ongoing.

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Featured Image: Shin Min Daily News