Dhoby Ghaut MRT staff jointly stop man suspected of taking upskirt photos
In an excellent example of cross-company cooperation, staff from both SBS Transit and SMRT worked together to catch a man at Dhoby Ghaut MRT station.
SMRT said on Facebook that the incident took place on 29 Jan, when he was suspected of “invading two female commuters’ privacy”.
Source: SMRT on Facebook
Upskirt photo suspect attempted to flee between lines at Dhoby Ghaut MRT
SBS Transit, in a Facebook post of their own, said its staff were alerted to the incident by a call from SMRT.
The man suspected of taking an upskirt photo was attempting to flee from the North-South Line (NSL) to the North-East Line (NEL), both of which serve Dhoby Ghaut MRT.
NSL is operated by SMRT, while NEL is operated by SBS.
He may have gotten away with it, had staff from both companies not worked together.
SBS & SMRT staff located upskirt suspect at NEL platform
After being alerted, SBS’ station manager Aurelius and assistant station manager Hafiz sprang into action to locate the suspect.
Aurelius (left) and Hafiz. Source: SBS Transit Ltd. on Facebook
They were aided by SMRT station manager Ira and assistant station managers Sangkari and Suzaine,
Ira, Sangkari and Suzaine. (holding letters) Source: SMRT on Facebook
They finally located the suspect at the NEL platform.
Staff stop suspect from escaping, take his phone away
However, the suspect was uncooperative despite their efforts to detain him.
He also attempted to board the train to escape.
The team jointly stopped him from leaving and even prevented him from deleting the photos on his phone.
To preserve the evidence, Aurelius held the man’s arms firmly while Hafiz wrestled his phone away.
Aurelius said he was “calm and focussed” during the incident, adding:
We are trained and ready to handle such incidents.
On his part, Hafiz said his instincts kicked in as he knew he needed to stop the man and protect the evidence.
Five staff praised for seamless teamwork
The suspect was eventually handed over to the police.
The five staff were praised for their “decisive actions”, with the “seamless teamwork” between SBS and SMRT also lauded.
Fittingly, the group were commended at a ceremony last Friday (14 Feb) by bosses from both companies including Mr Koh Boon Yeow, Head of NEL and Sengkang-Punggol LRT, Mr Alvin Yeo, Acting Head of NEL/SPLRT Customer Experience and Operations, Mr Teo Wee Kiat, Head of NSL and East-West Line and Mr Richard Loong, SMRT Director of Station Operations.
Mr Koh Boon Yeow (third from right), Mr Alvin Yeo (first from left), Mr Teo Wee Kiat (second from left) and Mr Richard Loong (second from right). Source: SBS Transit Ltd. on Facebook
SMRT sent its kudos to them for ensuring commuter safety, while SBS said:
As part of the One Transport family, we are committed to working together to ensure the safety and comfort of our commuters as our top priority.
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