See Kian Beng's allegations of police brutality by officers while in custody after failing breathalyzer test

[BabyBlade]

TOC's Facebook page: 

Quote

Cases of police abuse are no stranger to most countries, and Singapore is not an exception.

History tells us that very few, if any, of such cases of misconduct will see accountability in the form of a conviction or sentencing.

TOC recently sat down with a Singaporean who alleged to have suffered abuse by the law authority at Cantonment police station on 14 Feb 2020.

"One fella was using their elbow onto my neck ... I really couldn't breathe. They started to kick me, using unnecessary force. One guy - I don't know who - stepped on my feet," the man recalled.

This resulted in injuries that were documented in a medical examination he went through after the incident.

TOC notes that the man is unsure of the exact number of police officers involved due to his psychological state at the time of the incident. However, he said he was sure that there were more than five officers at the time the alleged abuse took place.

He was also made to relieve himself at a corner after the police failed to attend to his request to go to the toilet.

In June 2020, the man was told that the footage from the day of the incident was reviewed. The police gave their version of what transpired that day, supposedly from the officers involved in the alleged abuse and closed the case.

FULL STATEMENT RELEASED BY SPF

 https://mothership.sg/2021/06/toc-police-custody-allegations/

In a nearly 30-minute video uploaded to YouTube on June 28, See claimed the following:

• He was held in the police lock-up for longer than necessary;
• The police had assigned him to a padded cell and he was alone inside, even though he had mentioned that he had claustrophobia;
• The police had pinned him down and used excessive force in moving him into the padded cell, and he had sustained injuries as a result;
• The police had ignored his request to use the toilet and he ended up urinating inside his cell;
• No food was given to him;
• The police had refused to let him call his family members;
• The medical personnel at the lock-up had ignored his concerns on his high heart rate; and
• His car was returned to him only after a long time.

BACK STORY

See had failed a breathalyser test conducted at a police roadblock along Boon Keng Road on Feb. 14 last year at around 3:40am, and was subsequently arrested.

He was then brought back to the lock-up facility at Police Cantonment Complex at about 4am where he was processed for detention while pending the conduct of a further breath analyser test via the Breath Evidential Analyser (BEA) machine.

According to the police, See was attended to by Nursing Officers at the lock-up on two occasions, and he was assessed to be fit for detention.

At about 4:40am, See passed the BEA test after a few attempts, with a recorded result of 31 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The amount was just below the legal limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 ml of breath.

In their statement, the police said that because See had failed his initial breath analyser test at the police road block and was legally arrested, he was processed in accordance with the rules for persons arrested and brought into police custody.

The police are thus required to:

• Conduct a search on him;
• Verify his identity;
• Conduct a medical examination and assess his condition to determine whether he was fit for detention;
• Register his property; among others.

An Investigation Officer (IO) in charge of See’s case also checked if See had other pending traffic or police cases, if he owned the car that he drove, as well as the validity of his driving licence and vehicle insurance.

While in custody, See was brought to wait in a temporary holding area, which the police said was a large room with transparent panels that overlook the common corridor.

He was there in between his BEA test attempts and other required processes.

After See had completed his BEA test attempts, he was escorted to another temporary holding area to await the processing of his release, pending confirmation that he was not required for further investigations.

However, the police said that See had refused to enter the temporary holding area, and that he claimed he was "claustrophobic and would harm himself if put into the temporary holding area again".

According to the police, See had insisted on waiting along a common corridor.

Officers then explained to See that he could not wait there as he would affect the movement of people along the corridor, including other persons-in-custody.

However, See refused to move, continued to disregard officers’ repeated instructions to move into the temporary holding area, and warned them that he might cause harm to himself.

The police then decided to transfer See to a padded cell instead, using a wheelchair.

The decision was taken in view of his threat and out of concern for his safety, the police added.

However, See continued to put up "a strong resistance" entering the padded cell, and "struggled with officers".

Following refusal to comply with officers' instructions, they had to "apply necessary force to physically move him into the padded cell", the police said.

Breakfast wasn't served to him as he was sleeping

According to the police statement, See requested to use the toilet at about 6am. Police then made arrangements for more officers to escort See to the toilet due to his struggle earlier.

As See appeared to be sleeping when officers entered his cell, they did not wake him.

Previously, See was allowed to use the toilet at about 4:30am and 4:55am, the police said.

At around 6:25am when breakfast was given, an officer then checked on See and found him to still be asleep, which was why breakfast was not served to him.

With regards to See's claim that he was not allowed to call his family, the police said that they did not find any records of See’s request to make any phone calls.

CCTV footage doesn't show See exhibiting discomfort when he left

Additionally, the police said CCTV footage had not showed any signs of See limping or exhibiting discomfort when he eventually left the padded cell.

He was able to walk normally and was escorted by officers, they added.

See was released unconditionally from police custody at about 7:40am on the same day, which was around four hours after his arrest.

He was told to collect his vehicle later in the evening for safety considerations.

In their statement, the police highlighted that they do not typically release vehicles back to persons arrested for drink-driving straight after their release from custody as they may still have alcohol in their body.

This could affect their faculties and cause them to pose a risk to themselves and other road users if they are allowed to operate the vehicle too soon.

See subsequently collected his vehicle on the night of Feb. 14.

Minor injuries sustained by See "consistent" with struggles he put up

The police revealed that shortly after his release, See lodged a complaint, and wrote in to provide his feedback on his custodial experience.

The police asked See to seek medical assessment following his complaint.

The medical form provided by See indicated that he had sustained some minor injuries, which included abrasions on his right knee, and a 2cm laceration on his right knee.

The police said that these injuries "appeared to be consistent with the struggles he put up when officers attempted to place him inside the padded cell".

Police found no wrongdoing

The police also said that following internal investigations, including reviewing the CCTV recordings, they did not find any abuse or wrongdoing.

These findings were conveyed to See in June 2020. See then wrote in again one year later, on June 2, to enquire about this case.

Although the police had tried to contact him on two separate occasions, and offered to arrange a further interview with him to hear his concerns, he declined to be interviewed.

Second malicious attempt by TOC to smear our police force. First being the accusations of police officers allegedly bullying an old lady for not wearing mask. It's not too difficult to see that there is a political agenda behind this. You can be against the government but the police force are the ones protecting the citizens of this country. Granted, you got scratched while putting up a struggle after getting arrested for failing a breathalyzer test. No sheetz I get scratched even worse after "playing" with cats lol. 😵

[Brass]

7 minutes ago, BabyBlade said:

TOC's Facebook page: 

FULL STATEMENT RELEASED BY SPF

 https://mothership.sg/2021/06/toc-police-custody-allegations/

In a nearly 30-minute video uploaded to YouTube on June 28, See claimed the following:

• He was held in the police lock-up for longer than necessary;
• The police had assigned him to a padded cell and he was alone inside, even though he had mentioned that he had claustrophobia;
• The police had pinned him down and used excessive force in moving him into the padded cell, and he had sustained injuries as a result;
• The police had ignored his request to use the toilet and he ended up urinating inside his cell;
• No food was given to him;
• The police had refused to let him call his family members;
• The medical personnel at the lock-up had ignored his concerns on his high heart rate; and
• His car was returned to him only after a long time.

BACK STORY

See had failed a breathalyser test conducted at a police roadblock along Boon Keng Road on Feb. 14 last year at around 3:40am, and was subsequently arrested.

He was then brought back to the lock-up facility at Police Cantonment Complex at about 4am where he was processed for detention while pending the conduct of a further breath analyser test via the Breath Evidential Analyser (BEA) machine.

According to the police, See was attended to by Nursing Officers at the lock-up on two occasions, and he was assessed to be fit for detention.

At about 4:40am, See passed the BEA test after a few attempts, with a recorded result of 31 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath.

The amount was just below the legal limit of 35 micrograms of alcohol in 100 ml of breath.

In their statement, the police said that because See had failed his initial breath analyser test at the police road block and was legally arrested, he was processed in accordance with the rules for persons arrested and brought into police custody.

The police are thus required to:

• Conduct a search on him;
• Verify his identity;
• Conduct a medical examination and assess his condition to determine whether he was fit for detention;
• Register his property; among others.

An Investigation Officer (IO) in charge of See’s case also checked if See had other pending traffic or police cases, if he owned the car that he drove, as well as the validity of his driving licence and vehicle insurance.

While in custody, See was brought to wait in a temporary holding area, which the police said was a large room with transparent panels that overlook the common corridor.

He was there in between his BEA test attempts and other required processes.

After See had completed his BEA test attempts, he was escorted to another temporary holding area to await the processing of his release, pending confirmation that he was not required for further investigations.

However, the police said that See had refused to enter the temporary holding area, and that he claimed he was "claustrophobic and would harm himself if put into the temporary holding area again".

According to the police, See had insisted on waiting along a common corridor.

Officers then explained to See that he could not wait there as he would affect the movement of people along the corridor, including other persons-in-custody.

However, See refused to move, continued to disregard officers’ repeated instructions to move into the temporary holding area, and warned them that he might cause harm to himself.

The police then decided to transfer See to a padded cell instead, using a wheelchair.

The decision was taken in view of his threat and out of concern for his safety, the police added.

However, See continued to put up "a strong resistance" entering the padded cell, and "struggled with officers".

Following refusal to comply with officers' instructions, they had to "apply necessary force to physically move him into the padded cell", the police said.

Breakfast wasn't served to him as he was sleeping

According to the police statement, See requested to use the toilet at about 6am. Police then made arrangements for more officers to escort See to the toilet due to his struggle earlier.

As See appeared to be sleeping when officers entered his cell, they did not wake him.

Previously, See was allowed to use the toilet at about 4:30am and 4:55am, the police said.

At around 6:25am when breakfast was given, an officer then checked on See and found him to still be asleep, which was why breakfast was not served to him.

With regards to See's claim that he was not allowed to call his family, the police said that they did not find any records of See’s request to make any phone calls.

CCTV footage doesn't show See exhibiting discomfort when he left

Additionally, the police said CCTV footage had not showed any signs of See limping or exhibiting discomfort when he eventually left the padded cell.

He was able to walk normally and was escorted by officers, they added.

See was released unconditionally from police custody at about 7:40am on the same day, which was around four hours after his arrest.

He was told to collect his vehicle later in the evening for safety considerations.

In their statement, the police highlighted that they do not typically release vehicles back to persons arrested for drink-driving straight after their release from custody as they may still have alcohol in their body.

This could affect their faculties and cause them to pose a risk to themselves and other road users if they are allowed to operate the vehicle too soon.

See subsequently collected his vehicle on the night of Feb. 14.

Minor injuries sustained by See "consistent" with struggles he put up

The police revealed that shortly after his release, See lodged a complaint, and wrote in to provide his feedback on his custodial experience.

The police asked See to seek medical assessment following his complaint.

The medical form provided by See indicated that he had sustained some minor injuries, which included abrasions on his right knee, and a 2cm laceration on his right knee.

The police said that these injuries "appeared to be consistent with the struggles he put up when officers attempted to place him inside the padded cell".

Police found no wrongdoing

The police also said that following internal investigations, including reviewing the CCTV recordings, they did not find any abuse or wrongdoing.

These findings were conveyed to See in June 2020. See then wrote in again one year later, on June 2, to enquire about this case.

Although the police had tried to contact him on two separate occasions, and offered to arrange a further interview with him to hear his concerns, he declined to be interviewed.

Second malicious attempt by TOC to smear our police force. First being the accusations of police officers allegedly bullying an old lady for not wearing mask. It's not too difficult to see that there is a political agenda behind this. You can be against or disagree with the government but the police force are the ones protecting the citizens of this country. Granted, you got scratched while putting up a struggle after getting arrested for failing a breathalyzer test. No sheetz I get scratched even worse after "playing" with cats lol. 😵

It's Terry Xu, what's new?

I might not be very fond of the government but what Xu is doing is fear mongering and a smear attempt at authorities which is uncalled for.

I doubt no political party other than the controversial ones would be associated with TOC. 🤣

To the TOC of old, where it was somewhat wholesome, RIP.

[BabyBlade]

7 minutes ago, Brass said:

It's Terry Xu, what's new?

I might not be very fond of the government but what Xu is doing is fear mongering and a smear attempt at authorities which is uncalled for.

I doubt no political party other than the controversial ones would be associated with TOC. 🤣

To the TOC of old, where it was somewhat wholesome, RIP.

Amen! 

[Hamburger]

Wah the injury so bad!! 

An ant could not have survive that too. Poor thing. 

[Blueray]

strawberry

[SGCMmadman]

Drink n drive... could hv killed innocent people. Still dare to accuse police.

 

Fark off la TOC n tis guy. Police shld give drunk drivers a blanket party n jail term.. even for 1st time.

[Watwheels]

Come. Let DrM show you what is polis brutality.

[Loki]

1 hour ago, Blueray said:

strawberry

Apparently the new term is snowflake now

[Soya]

50 minutes ago, Watwheels said:

Come. Let DrM show you what is polis brutality.

Laoma considered small time liao

Let ah jib kor show what polis can do...

[Watwheels]

13 hours ago, Soya said:

Laoma considered small time liao

Let ah jib kor show what polis can do...

Sad to say the victim didnt survive to tell her story.

[Beregond]

had my own dealing with police before. and from all the video i see on spf catching ppl outside.

i must say our police really very nice and gentle already. they totally wont use any force as long as u corporate

[Gizmore]

When one is in police custody, there is only 1 option, you comply. 

Expect to be treated like a royalty? 😒

[BanCoe]

Find it hard to believe this fella's narrative....lucky his alcohol level was just below the marked level so polis want benefit of doubt.... so have to do another more accurate test...... but some people just falter along the way with medico issues that just makes the job of them more difficult...... similarly in the airline industry....... there are the difficult one's with all kinds of issues and become like entitled and things then just go awrily wrong       

[Picnic06-Biante15]

That See also one kind......

As well as you touch liquor (be it 1/2 a glass) into your mouth, you are considered as "Driving Under The Influence of Alcohol". In reguardless of you are a good drinker ...

Trying to make a fuss to get even with police. 

He was not charged for "Drunkard Drivng" but released unconditionary can consider very lucky leow. TP should follow-up to charge him with "Driving Under The Influence of Alcohol" 

[Invigorated]

I dunno if it's just me, but when I first saw the name, I saw the words..

See Beng Kia instead

[Windwaver]

Ask him go US?

Guess what cops there will do to him?

[Xers007]

Can drive a car with no issue but claustrophobia triggered when put in a room with big window. So the car cabin is more spacious than that room or he stay in a house with room as large as a school hall. Pfft... Maybe he got "selective" claustrophobia, better get consultation fast.

Who in the right mind would want to find trouble with someone they dont even know unless that 6 or 7 officers involved like extra report to write and delay their knock off time.

Edited July 4, 2021 by Xers007