Singapore
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Condo security officer assaulted by 2 men in CCTV footage

SINGAPORE – Two men, aged 26 and 58, are assisting with police investigations for allegedly causing hurt to a 56-year-old security officer at a Kitchener Road condominium in Little India on Sunday morning.

In a statement on Monday, the Security Association Singapore (SAS) said security supervisor Suraskumar was performing his regular entry checks at the City Square Residences - beside City Square Mall - at about 6.30am when he was punched and kicked, with the attack caught on closed-circuit television cameras.

In the footage provided by the association, two men are seen swinging their fists at Mr Suraskumar, who fall backwards against the condominium’s vehicle gantry near its entrance.

A police report has been lodged and Mr Suraskumar is currently recovering from the attack, the statement added.

The police said they were alerted to a case of assault at 4 Kitchener Link at about 6.50am, adding that Mr Suraskumar was conscious when he was taken to the hospital.

Investigations are ongoing.

The Union of Security Employees (USE) has also been informed of the attack, and the video footage has been shared with the authorities, said the statement without elaborating further.

Mr Suresh Ponniah, the managing director of Trek Investigations and Security Management Services, which employs Mr Suraskumar, said his firm takes a serious view of its employees’ safety and security.

He added: “We are committed to ensuring that our employees can perform their duties safely and without fear of harm.”

The condo’s management added in the same statement that it has “zero tolerance for any verbal or physical abuse to all frontline teams including security personnel”.

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It added: “While we extend our duty of care to the injured team member at Trek and fully support the authorities in their investigations, we should collectively condemn this abuse and ensure the maximum extent of the law and enforcement is served.”

Condemning the attack, SAS executive director Jourdan Sabapathy brought up how a USE survey in 2022 showed that four out of 10 security officers faced abuse despite amendments to the Private Security Industry Act.

The changes, which came into force in May 2022, include enhanced penalties for offenders who intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress, assault or use criminal force on and voluntarily cause hurt to security officers.

Mr Sabapathy said: “It is not enough for us to just rely on the law and enforcement or be reactive whenever an incident occurs.”

“We need to be proactive in engaging all stakeholders to educate and change mindsets, as well as to support frontline workers in carrying out their duties,” he said.

For example, SAS will issue guidelines in June to building owners and facility managers to help combat abuse against security officers, which includes educating residents on how to treat officers professionally, as well as the penalties meted out for abuse.