Lest you’ve been hiding under a rock, you’d know that a total of 3,000 enforcement officers, SG Clean and safe distancing ambassadors have been deployed daily.
This came after circuit breaker measures were implemented in order to prevent further spread of the coronavirus.
But how do you know whether they’re actually legit enforcement officers or if they’re scammers trying to earn a quick buck?
No worries, Goody Feed will teach you:
How to Spot a Real & Fake Safe-Distancing Enforcement Officer
The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) said on Wednesday that members of the public should stay vigilant and be careful of those who pretend to be enforcement officers.
Enforcement officers have been deployed in order to ensure compliance with elevated safe distancing measures.
But if you’re worried about others impersonating them, don’t fret.
MEWR said that beginning Thursday, enforcement officers and safe distancing ambassadors can be identified through red passes that they’ll carry with them.
It was also added that enforcement officers may also wear a red armband. This will be in addition to existing identifiers including their agencies corporate attire, staff pass and/or lanyard, or the SG Clean Ambassador pass.
New Identifiers
“These new identifiers will help the public to better identify enforcement officers and ambassadors,” said MEWR.
They also said that members of the public should always ask for the officer’s identification to verify his or her identity before listening to the instructions of the officer.
Do bear in mind too that only police officers and enforcement officers can take enforcement action by issuing composition fines to members of the public if they fail to abide by safe distancing measures.
On the other hand, ambassadors only help to guide businesses and individuals to abide by safe distancing measures.
Enforcement Officers Are NOT Allowed To Make The Public Pay Fines On The Spot
MEWR would like to highlight that enforcement officers are not allowed to and will never ask for members of the public to pay fines on the spot.
“Members of the public are cautioned against handing over any cash or providing their bank account details to persons who claim to be enforcement officers.”
Instead, they’ll take down your details and give you a slip of paper, kinda like how some smokers are issued fines.
Those Impersonating Enforcement Officer Will Be Subjected To Police Investigations
Here’s a warning for those who think it would be a good idea to impersonate an enforcement officer.
Should you be convicted of cheating by impersonation, you could be jail up to five years and fined.
On the other hand, those who are convicted of impersonating a public servant can also face a jail term of up to two years and a fine.
There were also incidences where the public have abused these enforcement officers who are just trying to do their jobs.
MEWRS warns that anyone who physically or verbally abuses these officers will have action taken against them.
“Let me state categorically that such behaviour is unacceptable. We will be taking action against these individuals and will not hesitate to do the same should there be other similar incidents.”
A press release by MEWR revealed that the safe distancing ambassadors and enforcement officers come from almost 50 public agencies and include non-public servants recruited from the hospitality and aviation sectors, as well as volunteers.
