Three members of the public, Mr Teoh Kwan Yi Gabriel, Mr Muhammad Firdauz Bin Mansor and Mr Norazam B Sumadi, were commended for their public-spiritedness in a ceremony held at Jurong Division on 11 October.
With their assistance, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) arrested a 50-year-old man in connection with a case of snatch theft that occurred at Marsiling Lane.
The incident was said to have happened on 10 October 2016 at about 3 pm, when a 30-year-old female victim was suddenly approached by the suspect at the void deck of Blk 214 Marsiling Lane and snatched her gold necklace. The suspect then fled towards the main road.
The victim shouted for help and her cries attracted the attention of the three men who then chased after the suspect. They eventually detained him along Marsiling Lane.
The Police arrested the suspect after being alerted to the incident and the stolen necklace was also recovered from the suspect. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is also believed to be involved in another similar case.
The suspect will be charged in Court on 12 October 2016 with an offence of Snatch Theft under Section 356 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 which is punishable with imprisonment for a term of not less than one year and not more than 7 years and shall also be liable to caning.
Commander Jurong Division, Assistant Commissioner of Police Koh Wei Keong, commended the three public-spirited members of the public for their courage and civil-minded actions which resulted in the arrest.
“It is indeed heartening to see the community coming together to fight crime. The selflessness and public-spiritedness displayed by the men are indeed commendable. These brave, selfless and civic-minded individuals truly deserve to be commended for playing a pivotal role in assisting the Police to arrest the suspect,”
The Police would like to remind members of public to adopt the following crime prevention measures when encountering such incidents:
• Avoid exposing your valuables unnecessarily.
• Be alert of your surroundings at all times especially of suspicious persons who could be following them.
• Be wary of strangers approaching you or trying to distract your attention.
• When confronted, you should remain calm. You should try to take note as much details of the suspect as you possibly can, such as his appearance, clothing, height and other physical description. You should also take note of the suspect’s direction and mode of escape. Call ‘999’ as soon as it is safe to do so.