This is a story I wrote as a News Desk intern for The Straits Times, Singapore.
Published April 22, 2022.
Published April 22, 2022.
Most cases of abuse go unreported, say former police officers
SINGAPORE - In the nine years he was in the police force, Sam faced his share of verbal abuse.
But in an incident in 2014, the former officer was hit and scratched on his back by a woman he was trying to arrest.
Sam, who declined to be identified, said someone used a racial slur on another occasion.
Sam, who resigned in May last year at the age of 31, said there was once when a complainant said: "I don't want an Indian to interview me."
The Straits Times spoke to a total of four serving and former police officers. All of them said they have been subjected to some form of abuse.
They said most abuse they encountered went unreported. These include instances of being shouted at, scolded, or nudged.
In 2017, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said there were 344 cases of police officers who were physically or verbally abused in 2015 and 484 in 2016.
Between 2019 and 2020, there were more than 400 reported cases, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Tan in a parliamentary reply last August.
The officers said they do receive support from senior management.
"Peers talk to you too. There's a lot of internal compassion," said one former officer who spent more than a decade in the force.
Another former officer said: "Some less experienced officers will end up accepting all the abuse coming their way, in the name of professionalism."
With many interactions between police officers and civilians being filmed and uploaded on social media, one former officer said this has led to some individuals disrespecting the police.
He said: "People are more brave now. They will record officers, try to taunt them, and make them say certain incriminating things.
"Even if they know that they are in the wrong, they still like to challenge the officers first. They want to push their luck as far as possible."
One 40-year-old former police officer said: "You take but you cannot give. Due to the nature of our job, we have to practise self restraint on many occasions.
"You cannot get emotional, although inside you're angry or frustrated."
However, another former officer said that his sense of purpose was what kept him motivated.
"Nasty remarks and difficult people are just part and parcel of the job. There were undoubtedly days where I felt drained and emotionally exhausted. But, at the end of the day, policing is still a noble job that I feel strongly towards.
"Personally, it was that sense of duty that always kept me coming back."
