Accusations and abuse part of the job for many security officers in Singapore

Security officers face a range of abuses as they go about enforcing rules to safeguard the occupants of the premises they guard.

Many, hardened by repeated abuse, shake it off as part of the job. Others become unmotivated to do their job well, with a few even quitting right away due to the humiliation.

Security supervisor R. Thevamanokaran, who used to work at a condominium in Katong, recalled residents accusing his subordinates of stealing and verbally abusing them for patrolling the condo's basement carpark.

He has also been subjected to racial slurs and threats of lawsuits in various encounters throughout his two-decade career.

The 56-year-old, who now leads a team of four at a condominium in Holland Road, said: "Residents (of the Katong condo) with no car still have a designated parking space, so some use it to store large items, such as weight equipment and bicycles.

"They don't want others to walk near these things... if you pass by, they think you are trying to take their things."

Frequent abuses resulted in an unwillingness among his subordinates to patrol the basement carpark of the Katong condo, even though this was required of them, he said.

The hostility that security officers face has come under renewed scrutiny after an incident between a security officer and the driver of a white Bentley at Red Swastika School in Bedok North last Tuesday. The driver had used his car to push back the security officer.

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Industry associations and security officers The Sunday Times spoke to said security officers may have a range of responses to abuse, depending on their experience level and personal disposition, as well as the nature of the abuse.

These include quitting the industry immediately — usually among the more inexperienced and sensitive officers, particularly after a jarring first brush with humiliating public abuse — and shrugging off abuse as a part of life as a security officer.

"Security officers tell me that when they wear the uniform, they expect to get scolded - they feel resigned to being abused," said Mr Steve Tan, executive secretary of the Union of Security Employees (USE).

In a Singapore University of Social Sciences survey commissioned by USE and conducted between last July and September, 38.8 % of officers reported facing abuse at their workplaces.

Over half said they felt nervous or stressed at work.

Nonetheless, support is available for security officers via their firms and USE. This includes time off to rest, especially after being abused in a public or humiliating manner, rotation to non-public duties, and a temporary or permanent transfer to another site, said Mr Tan.

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As the last resort, the union will help officers search for a new job if they find the workplaces in their current firm too exposed to the public or abusive.

Mr John Vijayan, president of the Association of Certified Security Agencies, said: "Some people have post-incident trauma, and some (security agencies) have trained counsellors within the human resources team. If need be, we may send them for external counselling."

But he added that in his experience, an estimated 95 % of security officers who have faced abuse get back to their posts within a day.

Although the Private Security Industry Act was amended in October last year to further protect security officers with harsher punishments for aggressors, abuse remains rampant.

Mr Robert Wiener, director of security firm Prosegur Singapore, said he hears of abuse against his officers "every second day".

He said the full impact of the amendments on abuse numbers and severity remains to be seen.

"We're going to have to start studying that over the next two to three years," he said.

Mr Muhammad Danial Zainuddin, 31, who has been a security supervisor at a condominium in Serangoon for the last three years, said his team members face abuse at least once a week from residents, visitors, taxi drivers or delivery personnel, resulting in some of them leaving their jobs.

"Abuse definitely affects their work, because they know that if they enforce (the rules) properly, they will face this abuse," he said.

Just last week, he said, one of his officers was shouted at by a taxi driver — who was dropping off a passenger — for politely requesting the driver to roll down his window and state his purpose of visit.

USE president Ardi Amir said social media has helped to empower security officers by raising awareness of abuse incidents through video recordings and posts. "They feel a sense of pride in their job, that they are doing something right. The more people recognise their professionalism in the media, the more they want to do it right."

Mr Vijayan noted that technology such as closed-circuit TV cameras and automated gantries means that officers need not risk their safety to fend off belligerent individuals.

But continuing abuse signals that a broader change in culture is needed. Said Mr Wiener: "I think it needs to be publicised more that if you act aggressively towards security officers, you are going to get into trouble."

Mr Tan said the public will likely be a bit more conscious of their behaviour in the short term in the wake of Tuesday's incident.

"But I'm not optimistic it will be permanent and (the rate of abuse) will likely start creeping back up. I feel our society at large has not reached the stage of treating our low-wage workers more kindly."

Though abuse towards security officers is commonplace, a few incidents here have been particularly grievous.

Elderly security officer Chew Choo Chian died of his injuries almost six weeks after being punched by a drunken man he was reprimanding for urinating behind a door at a Bukit Panjang shopping centre.

In the incident on Nov 18, 2014, Teo Chin Lai, a hawker centre food packer, hit Mr Chew, who was 74, on his upper body, causing him to fall backwards.

Mr Chew died on Dec 28 that year and Teo was sentenced to three years in jail in August 2016 for causing grievous hurt.

In April 2020, a female security officer at Ion Orchard mall was sneezed at by a Taiwanese woman after she denied her entry for not wearing a mask.

Ms Devika Rani Muthu Krishnan had been deployed to an entrance to take down customers' particulars for contact tracing and to ensure that they were wearing masks.

But Sun Szu-yen, who was wearing a scarf in place of a mask, sneezed at Ms Devika Rani when denied entry.

She pleaded guilty in a district court that June to one count of performing a rash act and an unrelated harassment charge and was sentenced to 11 weeks in jail for the offences.

The owner of an advertising firm who was drunk and could not find an unlocked exit at Roxy Square mall assaulted a security supervisor.

Briton Stuart Boyd Mills had gone drinking with friends till midnight at the East Coast Road shopping centre in April 2019.

Even though the security supervisor, Mr Andrew Lim, offered to show him the way out, Mills grew agitated and aggressive.

Mills attempted to trip Mr Lim but almost fell down himself. In a rage, he punched Mr Lim's face.

Mills was sentenced in September 2019 to a week's jail for assault

This article was first published in The Straits Times. Permission required for reproduction.