SPF Officer in ‘Bullying’ Case in Yishun Spoke Out; Has Been an Officer for 23 Years

Singaporeans enjoy playing football, basketball, and badminton, but everyone knows that jumping to conclusions is the national sport.

Every time someone complains about something or someone online, netizens or even news outlets immediately take their side and condemn the accused, without hearing the full story.

This is what happened recently when an Instagram user accused a group of police officers of mistreating an elderly woman with dementia in Yishun.

She accused them of reprimanding the woman harshly for not wearing a mask, but it turns out that one officer had simply reminded the woman’s helper about mask-wearing requirements, and even bought food for the old lady.

Of course, it’s never nice to be accused of something you didn’t do. Now, the officer in question has spoken out about the incident.

“Felt Sad and Wronged”

In an interview shared by the Ministry of Home Affairs on its Facebook page, the officer, Station Inspector (SI) Jeff Lim, said the incident left him aggrieved at first.

“Initially I felt sad and wronged, but I’m encouraged by my friends and family,” he said.

Now, he said he’s glad the truth has come out.

“Management has fought for the officers on the ground and I feel relieved,” SI Lim said. He added that the incident hasn’t diminished his commitment to helping others.

“This incident shouldn’t stop us from carrying out our duties and helping members of the public. We just try to help those who are in need and put a smile on their faces.”

What Happened

On 17 May, the police were alerted to a case of an elderly woman who appeared to be lost and did not have a mask on.

Two officers went to the scene first, after which SI Lim and his team leader responded to the call after hearing it on the radio.

“I felt that we needed more people to go down to search for the old lady’s residential address,” he explained.

The netizens who accused the police officers of bullying argued that having four officers attend to one elderly lady seemed excessive.

SI Lim, however, said that his focus was on helping her, and that having more officers on the scene would help them resolve the situation quickly.

When SI Lim spoke to the woman, she exhibited signs of dementia, as she couldn’t remember her name or her address.

Fortunately, a passer-by knew her address, and two officers went to her flat and asked her helper to follow them.

When the helper was brought to the woman, SI Lim told the helper to remind the woman to wear a mask outside.

Some netizens and news outlets, including The Online Citizen (TOC), perceived his tone here to be harsh and believed that he had raised his voice.

Body-cam footage which was later released by the police, however, said otherwise.

“I did not raise my voice in that incident,” SI Lim said. “Actually I was explaining to the helper that the aunty is not wearing a mask, and I advised the helper to remind the aunty to wear a mask whenever she went out.”

He then chatted with the elderly woman for a bit and later bought food for her, as he was concerned she might have been hungry.

She asked for two chicken wings, which SI Lim bought with his own money.

In the body-cam footage, SI Lim then says: “Come, let me bring you home”, but the elderly woman said there was “no need” to do so.

Later, in an interview with TOC, the elderly woman claimed that she wasn’t given food by the officers, and that they “chased her back” home.

However, SI Lim didn’t take these comments personally, saying he understands that the woman has dementia and may not remember what happened.

Has Been an Officer for 23 Years

This is not the first time SI Lim has bought food for an elderly person while on the job.

The 45-year-old has been an officer for 23 years, 21 of which have been at Yishun South Neighbourhood Police Centre.

He is also a founding member of Hasta La Vista, a group of police officers who regularly raise funds for and donate essentials to those in need within the local community and regionally.

He’s even participated in volunteering trips to countries such as Nepal, Myanmar, Malaysia, and Indonesia.

SI Lim said he wasn’t aware that someone was filming his interactions with the elderly lady.

“I am aware that people can take videos of us,” he said. “As long as we are doing the right thing, then it’s okay that they can take a video.”

He also warned residents not to believe everything they see on the internet, referring to those who might have lost faith in the police after the incident.

“They themselves have to find out the truth,” he said.

Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam slammed TOC for the “malicious” and “despicable” way in which it “twisted facts” in the interview with the woman.

Mr Shanmugam said the daughter of the elderly woman had confirmed that her mother has dementia and was upset that TOC had taken advantage of her mother to “spin a story”.

“I would say this is despicable and how low people will stoop. Unethical and cynical. This whole exercise by TOC is quite malicious to attack the police,” Mr Shanmugam said.

Even though SI Lim has been praised by netizens for his kindness, he was rather humble about the whole thing.

“Like what I said, we are just humans helping humans,” he said.

Featured Image: Facebook (Ministry of Home Affairs, Singapore)