Instinct To Get Out Of Harm’s Way Saved Officer’s Life: Commander
On Thursday (28 Oct), many Singaporeans were shocked by a viral video of a traffic police officer (TP) getting knocked down by a reversing car.
Thankfully, the officer in question was not seriously hurt.
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) has attributed this to the officer’s training and experience.
His instinct to quickly get out of harm’s way also helped him jump off his motorbike in time, avoiding serious injury.
Officer tried to stop suspicious car
In a press release on Friday (29 Oct), the SPF said the incident started when a TP officer stopped a suspicious car near Upper Paya Lebar Road.
This was at about 9.50am on Thursday (28 Oct) morning.
The officer who stopped the silver Mitsubishi Lancer was identified as Station Inspector Abdul Hakim by Channel NewsAsia (CNA).
However, the driver didn’t stop, but sped off instead, and Insp Abdul Hakim gave chase.
Car stops on road, reverses towards officer
As the car was speeding away, it also was believed to have collided with another vehicle on MacPherson Road, the SPF said.
Another TP officer also joined in the chase – he was identifed as Senior Staff Sergeant Haidil Bin Osman in a Facebook post by Minister of State for Home Affairs Faishal Ibrahim.
What happened next was captured in a dashcam video posted on ROADS.sg: The car turned into Geylang East Avenue 1 and came to a stop.
While Insp. Abdul Hakim moved ahead to intercept it, Sgt Haidil approached from the back.
However, the car suddenly reversed against the flow of traffic, causing it to allegedly plough into Sgt Haidil.
Officer jumps off in the nick of time
From the video, we see him moving to the side and falling onto the road.
While our view is blocked by the car, according to the SPF, Sgt Haidil “managed to jump off his motorcycle in the nick of time”.
Due to this quick action, he avoided serious injuries.
His bike, however, was dragged by the car for a bit, leaving it with visible scratches on various areas.
After knocking into the TP officer, the car purportedly continued to reverse and made an illegal U-turn.
It then sped away from the scene.
Male passenger arrested
The car was found abandoned along Geylang East Central, and when the police arrived, the driver had already fled.
However, another man was standing outside the car – the 34-year-old male passenger.
He was “uncooperative”, the SPF said, raising his voice, hurling derogatory terms and pushing the officers.
Thus, necessary force was used to restrain him.
He was arrested for:
- using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty under Section 353 of the Penal Code
- suspected drug-related offences
He’ll also be investigated for disorderly behaviour under Section 20 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act. He faces jail and/or a fine over these offences.
Driver arrested within 4 hours
As for the 37-year-old male driver, a manhunt was launched for him.
Given that he allegedly was responsible for the collision with the TP officer seen in the video, it was imperative that he was brought to justice.
With the aid of police cameras and video analytics, he was locared along Yishun Street 51.
The man was arrested just 4 hours from the time of the incident.
He’s under investigation for multiple offences, 1 of them being voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty.
He will be charged in court on Saturday (30 Oct) with this offence, and faces up to 7 years’ jail and a fine or caning.
The driver is also suspected of consuming of controlled drugs, and wanted by the police for cheating.
3rd man arrested
A 3rd man, who’s 22 years old, was found to have rented the Mitsubishi Lancer connected to the alleged crimes.
He’s suspected of allowing the driver to drive without a valid licence.
That offence carries a jail term of up to 3 years and/or a fine of up to $10,000 for first offenders.
Investigations are ongoing over the 3 men’s alleged offences, the SPF said.
A highly unpredictable job
Speaking about the incident, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Heng Chih Yang – Commander of Bedok Police Division – said a police officer’s job is “highly unpredictable”.
Despite the risks, officers face remain steadfast in their duties, he added.
He praised Sgt Haidil’s training, experience and instinct, for they allowed him to escape more serious injuries – thus saving his life.
The SPF takes “a serious view” of acts of violence towards police officers performing their duties, Mr Heng added.
Hence, firm action will be taken against those endanger the safety of public servants or road users.
Kudos for your service
Kudos to Insp Abdul Hakim and Sgt Haidil for risking their lives to chase after the suspects.
Their bravery and quick thinking certainly serves them well in their job of protecting Singapore.
We shudder to think what would’ve happened if Sgt Haidil’s training didn’t allow him to get out of the way. Hopefully, he recovers from his injuries very soon.
Meanwhile, let’s look forward to seeing those who flout the law get the punishment they deserve.
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Featured image adapted from ROADS.sg and Assoc Prof Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim on Facebook.
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