On Tuesday (29 October), the police confirmed that a report has been filed on the alleged doxxing of a man involved in a heated exchange with a security officer at Eight Riversuites last weekend.
While the police did not reveal who lodged the report, the Straits Times reported that the report against harassment was lodged by the man in the video itself.
The security supervisor has made a separate report regarding this issue.
In May this year, the Parliament passed amendments to the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) to forbid doxxing. This means that online users are not allowed to publish someone’s personal details with the motive to harass, threaten or cause violence or fear of violence to the person. If convicted of this crime, one can be jailed up to a year and fined S$5,000. But, the amendments have not come into force yet.
In the video posted on Saturday morning (26 October), a man in sleeveless shirt and shorts was seen yelling and swearing at the top of his voice after being told by the senior security officer that he needed to pay parking fees for guests visiting the condo. The man, who lives in the Eight Riversuites condominium in Bendermeer, told the security officers that he had bought his apartment for S$1.5 million, and began swearing at the officer.
“I buy your f****** property for S$1.5 million you know,” exclaimed the man.
As the video progresses, the security guards were constantly explaining that they are just “enforcing the rules”, yet the man was adamant to his stance as he continued to berate them.
If that’s not all, a screen shot of the man’s comment in a closed Facebook group for the condo’s residents has been circulating in social media. In his defence, he claimed that the security officer was “bullying” his visitor by asking what time he was going to leave.
“In what capacity the security can decide on what time my visitor should leave,” the man wrote. “He (security officer) was not allowing my visitors to enter when the time of entry was 10.30pm and not even 11.”
“When I went down I asked the security to give me the receipt and I will deal with the management but he insisted to pay (sic). Again in what capacity he must ask me to pay when I myself dosnt (sic) know what time my visitor would leave,” he added.
He said that his Deepavali weekend was ruined by the incident as he has received more than 200 threatening calls, after disclosing his mobile number in the viral video.
Once the video went viral, netizens began digging out the man’s background and revealed his condo unit and mobile number, as well his alleged pay and education history. Many of them condemned his behaviour, while others called for his company, JP Morgan, to sack him. Petition urging for the company to do so has gathered more than 26,000 signatures.
In regards to this incident, JP Morgan sent an internal email memo on Tuesday reminding its Singapore-based staff to uphold a “culture of respect” in their daily conduct. The memo was sent by Edmund Lee, the senior officer of the multinational investment bank’s Singapore office.
“Our people, services and commitment to integrity have made JP Morgan one of the most respected financial institutions in the world. We all have a shared responsibility for preserving and building on this strong reputation..” said Mr Lee, without actually referring to this latest incident or explaining why he sent the email.
“All of us…are expected to demonstrate the highest standards, including respect and dignity for others..inside and outside of the workplace,” said Mr Lee, without actually referring to this incident or explaining why he sent the email.”
After this issue went viral, the Association of Certified Security Agencies (ACSA) has issued a public statement to condemn the untoward behaviour of the man towards the senior security supervisor and applauds the calm, composed and professional conduct exhibited by the officer during the tense-off. It is said that the association does not tolerate the abuse of security officers whilst they are discharging their duties. In a statement on Sunday (27 Oct), the USE said that it is working with the police on the case, and that it has been handing out notices about respecting security officers who are performing their duties.
Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam also took to his Facebook on Sunday to support the security officer and noted that what the resident did was wrong “at so many levels”.
Criticizing the man’s sense of entitlement, SM Tharman said, “It is these examples of modern-day bigotry and a sense of entitlement that the light of Deepavali seeks to dispel.”
“Kudos to the condo security officer, who handled the abuse and a very unpleasant situation in a dignified way,” he praised the officer.
