SpotlightOnSingapore

Long night of questioning for 80 youth: why the overreaction?

I think most people reading about the police rounding up 80 youth and questioning them till late at night would have said, “C’mon, these youngsters are simply trying to earn some pocket money. Why the overreaction?”

I know loan-sharking activities are a serious crime but I am sure these youngsters had no idea that the materials they distributed were connected with crooks.

Some were even handcuffed like common criminals.

The youngsters could have been warned about the the fliers, name cards and pamphlets being connected to loan-sharks. There was no need to my mind for such an excessive response from Bedok Police Division.

It seems odd for the police to devote so much attention to this matter when there is a crying need for police patrols in HDB estates, shopping malls, on trains, MRT stations, bus interchanges and other public places to deter crime. And don’t forget the police needs to be vigilant against terrorism as well.

The public would certainly applaud this but not chasing after students and youngsters for distributing advertising materials innocently for loan-sharks.

Singapore Police Force should have foreseen this problem and worked with the schools. As with most things, prevention is better than cure and could have saved the police a lot of manpower and paperwork which will tie them up for quite some time.

An overreaction? Yes, I share the concern.

5 Responses to “Long night of questioning for 80 youth: why the overreaction?”

  1. From (1) Mas Selamat, (2) bomb removal (3) escape of the parking ticket offender
    (4) TPL delayed investigation, (5) Ismil Kadar (6) 9 dead bodies in first 7 mths of the year and now to this (7) handcuffing of students. I think the people are just about HAD enough with the incompetency of the Singapore Police Force over the last 1 year or so. They ran out of their in-rotting excuses just like PUB did with their eventual glaring stupidity and arrogance.

    Either Home Affairs take its own house in order with a major shake up or the Minister running for it make way. After all, we need to ask Shanmugam “what kind of message are we trying to send to the public here”? Get their priorities right

    SS  -  July 10, 2011 at 12:21 pm

    • SPF is in a shambles. Incompetent is an apt word to sum it up. I’ve come to the sad conclusion that our cops prefer soft options in discharging their duties instead of being on active police patrols to deter crime. Crime, as an ASP, pointed out to me occurs because of a perceived opportunity.

      They said the same silly thing when they cuffed a wanbao reporter last July for taking pictures during the great Orchard Road flood. For his own safety, they said. I’m beginning to conclude that some people’s IQ in SPF is suspect.

      rogerpoh  -  July 10, 2011 at 12:32 pm

  2. […] Predatory Lending in Singapore – Singapore Notes: Buffoons Beget Buffoons – SpotlightOnSingapore: Long night of questioning for 80 youth: why the overreaction? – Musings From the Lion City: Private Education Act – funny little world: BERSIH 2.0 – Thoughts […]

    Daily SG: 11 Jul 2011 « The Singapore Daily  -  July 11, 2011 at 11:33 am

  3. Why go after the innocent small fry when there are bigger fish to catch. Waste of time and taxpayers’ money. Go after the loansharks, SPF, then at least you can make a song and dance about it and not look so silly and incompetent,

    WL  -  July 11, 2011 at 11:53 am

    • I like your song and dance part. Wonder if their superiors are that easily fooled.

      rogerpoh  -  July 11, 2011 at 12:26 pm


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