At around 12:40am on Monday (29 Aug), the police were alerted to an incident of assault that took place in a condominium on Bukit Batok Street 41.
Reportedly, the police are investigating a 45-year-old man for voluntarily causing hurt to the security officer.
What Happened?
Based on security officer Afinde Mohamad’s account, he was making rounds with a fellow officer after midnight when a stranger allegedly attacked him in a lift on the ground floor.
The 55-year-old officer stated that his assailant was scolding him, though he could not make sense of his words, and that the man appeared to be drunk and “not normal”.
The close-circuit television (CCTV) footage showed a man gesturing and speaking to Mr Afinde before he grabbed his head and shoved him.
Despite Mr Afinde’s efforts to defend himself, the attacker manages to slap him.
Another clip shows the security officers leaving the lift when it reaches the third floor. The attacker proceeds to step out of the lift, slap Mr Afinde again, and then grab him by the neck before pushing him away.
This was the first time Mr Afinde encountered a violent incident ever since he began working as a security officer five years ago.
After the incident, Mr Afinde suffered from pain in his back and head, though consuming painkillers take off the edge.
He was given three days of sick leave.
Formteam Consultation, the company that Mr Afinde works under, has reached out to him and will be taking care of his needs and salary while he recuperates.
The senior manager of operations Mr Eric Goh stated that Mr Afinde is a “very efficient worker”, and his performance record has been stellar for the past few years.
By the time the police arrived at the condominium, Mr Afinde’s attacker was gone.
The Union of Security Employees (USE) executive security Steve Tan believes that the man is a resident.
Besides filing a police report against the assailant, USE has also given vouchers to Mr Afinde.
In this year alone, the USE has handled 25 cases of abuse involving security staff, which is nine more cases than the whole of last year.
Mr Tan expresses his worry over the growing frequency, adding that these cases are “unnecessary, unprovoked, and something [USE] finds quite abhorrent”.
He reiterates the importance of security officers and the duties they carry out, while also asking for the public’s support to help ensure that security officers have a safe working environment.
If you spot or witness an incident of abuse against a security offer, please report the case to the USE through their mobile application or e-mail [email protected]
Featured Image: Facebook (Union of Security Employees)
