Security Officer Causes Collision Injuring MFA Permanent Secretary At Istana, Fined S$2.5K

Security Officer Raises Bollards At Istana Without Checking, 2 Injured In Collision

We all make mistakes at work from time to time. However, when an error results in others getting hurt, there will usually be more severe consequences to bear.

A former auxiliary police officer recently pleaded guilty to causing grievous hurt after his actions resulted in a vehicle collision at the Istana last year.

30-year-old Tan Chee Kiat had raised metal bollards from the ground without noticing an oncoming car, causing the driver to crash into them.

As a result, those inside the car suffered multiple injuries.

For his negligent act, Tan was slapped with a fine of S$2,500 on Wednesday (31 Aug).

Security officer causes vehicle collision after raising bollards

TODAY reports that the incident happened during United States (US) Vice President Kamala Harris’ official visit to Singapore last year.

On 23 Aug 2021, Tan, then an officer with Certis Cisco, was deployed to a security post along Edinburgh Road within the Istana grounds.

He was in charge of operating the bollards, metal posts in the ground that can be raised to block cars from accessing a road.

That same morning, Mr Abdul Latif Karim was driving Mr Chee Wee Kiong, then the Permanent Secretary for Foreign Affairs, along Edinburgh Road after clearing security checks.

At about 9.15am, Tan, failing to notice that a vehicle had yet to pass through, raised the bollards. The car then crashed into them.

According to Channel NewsAsia (CNA), the car was travelling at 10km/h at the time.

Mr Abdul Latif said that he saw the bollards being raised but was unable to stop the car in time.

Both men suffered fractures

Both Mr Abdul Latif and Mr Chee sustained multiple injuries as a result of the collision.

Mr Chee had multiple fractures, including a sternum fracture and a tooth fracture. He was discharged from the hospital after two days.

As for Mr Abdul Latif, he sustained a sternum fracture and left knee contusion. He was discharged one day after the accident.

Investigations found that standard safety procedures require the officer operating the bollards to conduct a visual inspection of the posts during activation.

CNA reports that Tan, however, failed to do so and assumed that the car already passed the bollards. This led to the collision.

Officer gets S$2,500 fine

Seeking a fine of S$2,500, the prosecution pointed out that the victims suffered serious injuries. He added that Tan did not perform his responsibilities properly.

To this, the defence sought a lower fine of S$2,000. He explained that the incident resulted in Tan losing his job, and he is currently still unemployed.

Besides that, the control panel for the bollards was in a position that would make Tan face away from the road the cars were on. He added that Tan did not notice any vehicles when he activated the bollards.

Furthermore, Tan quickly offered assistance to the victims after the accident and was very remorseful for his actions. He even wrote apology letters to them, The Straits Times (ST) reports.

And finally, the defence stated that prior to this incident, Tan received multiple commendations for his work performance.

In the end, the judge fined Tan S$2,500 on the basis of the extent of the victims’ injuries, as well as the fact that there were two victims involved.

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Featured image adapted from Wikidata.