Crime rate in Victoria,10 times more than SG per 100,000 pax
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Filipino found dead in Singapore apartment
Singapore: A Filipino man has been found dead in his apartment in Singapore, according to media reports on Sunday.
Police said the body of Filojfido Bernard Montemayor was found lying face down on his bed.
The victim was bare-chested and wore only a pair of shorts. He had visible injuries on his upper body, the Sunday Times reported.
Neighbours of Montemayor said they heard shouting and quarrelling from the apartment early in the morning. Police are investigating the incident.
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Woman found dead at Bukit Batok Nature Reserve
A woman's decomposing body has been found at Lorong Sesuai near the Bukit Batok Nature Reserve.Police say they received a call at around 8.20 this morning.
The body was clad in a brown polo T-shirt and black pants.
According to a worker at the park who wants to be known only as Mr Cheng, joggers detected a foul smell as they passed the area this morning.
"I heard from my colleagues that the location is just nearby. About 3 metres away I think. The foul smell of the body caught the attention of some joggers, who decided to see what's going on. There are always many people jogging here at about 5 am."A staff from Mediacorp Technologies, who works at the Bukit Batok Transmission office located nearby, says he saw several people gathered there on his way to work this morning.
"When we were driving up we saw those students, because every morning those residents here will be exercising and they were pointing at the spot already."Police say investigation is ongoing.
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That foul smell wasn't from a dirty manhole
Another body found, surprising town council and neighbours
By Arul John
October 24, 2008
THE town council thought the foul smell came from a nearby manhole.
NO ONE KNEW HER: (Above) A woman claiming to be a relative of the deceased rummages through some of the dead woman's items. PICTURES: LIANHE WANBAO
So they washed the manhole - and were puzzled when the stench persisted.
A search by town council and Housing Development Board (HDB) officers yesterday led to a grisly find - a decomposed body of a woman in her mid-40s.
She was found in a fourth-storey four-room flat at Block 226 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1. It was the second such find in two days.
Yesterday, The New Paper reported the discovery of a dead 61-year-old security guard in Marine Terrace.
The trail that led to the latest discovery began on Friday when a neighbour, Ms J Victoria, detected a foul smell around her fifth-storey flat .
Ms Victoria, a bank executive in her 20s, said: 'We endured the smell at first, but on Tuesday, we could not bear it any longer and called the HDB. I was later told that the smell came from a manhole in the field opposite the block.
Police and undertakers carrying the body of the dead woman.
'But on Wednesday, the stench persisted and I called the HDB again. The HDB officer later told me that a dead body had been found.'
A spokesman for Ang Mo Kio-Yio Chu Kang Town Council said its property manager was informed by HDB about a foul smell coming from the manhole.
The spokesman said: 'The manhole was then washed but the smell continued. Our property manager and an HDB officer then went to check around the block with the aim of getting a better idea of what was causing the smell.'
The spokesman said the officers called the police after they saw flies at the window of a fourth-storey unit and a neighbour told them she had not seen the flat's owner for three weeks.
Police spokesman Danny Tan said the police officers who found the decomposed body of the dead woman when they entered the flat. Police have classified the case as unnatural death.
Anonymous
The neighbours that The New Paper spoke to said they did not know the woman's name.
Mr John Ferrao, 81, who lives just above the dead woman, said she kept to herself and lived mostly at home. He said she was plump, had short hair and was about 1.8m tall.
Mr Ferrao, a retiree, said: 'At about noon or 3pm, she would go to the stall nearby and buy a packet of food. Sometimes I'd meet her at the void deck. We would nod, but she never said a word.'
Another neighbour, who only wanted to be known as Mr Goh, said the dead woman used to live with her mother. 'Later, I head that the mother died and the woman lived alone.'
Mr Goh said the woman often collected junk from around the block and kept it in her flat.
Many of the items the dead woman collected were put into bins and placed at the void deck. They were later cleared away, but the flat was still filled with boxes crammed with various items.
Ms Victoria said the woman had a daughter who occasionally visited the woman. But she had not seen the woman for several weeks.
Ms Victoria said: 'Once, after the new lifts were built, I saw the woman's daughter standing at the lift lobby.
'She looked like she was trying to watch the programmes we were watching on TV. I felt sorry for her.'
Two women who claimed to be relatives of the deceased declined to talk to the press. One of them, a woman wearing a red blouse, said: 'Please respect our privacy. We are in mourning.'
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SINGAPORE: A decomposed body of a woman was found at Lorong Sesuai in Bukit Batok on Monday morning.
The body was found on a slope in the forested area, after police received a call at about 8.20am.
She was wearing a brown polo T-shirt and black pants.
Police have classified the case as one of unnatural death and are investigating.
Over eight years ago, two women were attacked in the area within a week of each other. One escaped while the other was raped and later died. - CNA/vm -
Dunt think Oz is just another Singapore where every place is
a Speaker Corner!!u will think u have freedom and democracy
in oz where u think u cannot enjoy in SG.u are damn right
on this part.But the gangsters activities there is not just like
Loan Shark in SG spraying paints on doors.
They will spray with bullets!!
Thanks to lenient laws in oz,Asian orgainised crime corporations
now expand their biz in Sydney,Oz.
2.Bikes gang is also may be involved in a missing witness cases.
3.NSW Ambulances officers will requests police excorts
if they are called to attend any few hundred addresses in a
blacklist!!
@@@@@@@@@@@2
Thats why SG need:
SG ISA ,and
CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT
(CHAPTER 67)
are not paper tigers.
http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ The latter have to be approved by Pariliment
every 5 years due to its very powerful powers!!
So,it remanins for few decades in laws books as
TEMPORARY PROVISIONS!!
Remember a SG lawyers was detained recently withour trial,
but a closed door trial, for related to drugs cases.
Accused can ask lawyer to defend himslef in closed door
trail.So,many local opposition like CSJ and foreign medias are
wrong when they says detained without trial.
All have been trieal behind closed door.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@2
Crime lords draft Sydney teens
EXCLUSIVE: ASIAN crime gangs responsible for heinous crimes including murder that have distinct gang tattoos have launched a recruitment drive in Western Sydney.
48 comment(s) about this story
i suggest u read comments in Oz news to know
oz better.
2.
Ambos no-go zones in NSW
AT least 350 homes and streets in NSW in rich and poor suburbs are deemed no-go zones by ambulances because they are deemed too violent, we can reveal.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24592196-421,00.html
3.Bikies probed over missing witness
,,,
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
Dunt think Oz is just another Singapore where every place is
a Speaker Corner!!u will think u have freedom and democracy
in oz where u think u cannot enjoy in SG.u are damn right
on this part.But the gangsters activities there is not just like
Loan Shark in SG spraying paints on doors.
They will spray with bullets!!
Thanks to lenient laws in oz,Asian orgainised crime corporations
now expand their biz in Sydney,Oz.
2.Bikes gang is also may be involved in a missing witness cases.
3.NSW Ambulances officers will requests police excorts
if they are called to attend any few hundred addresses in a
blacklist!!
@@@@@@@@@@@2
Thats why SG need:
SG ISA ,and
CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT
(CHAPTER 67)
are not paper tigers.
http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/ The latter have to be approved by Pariliment
every 5 years due to its very powerful powers!!
So,it remanins for few decades in laws books as
TEMPORARY PROVISIONS!!
Remember a SG lawyers was detained recently withour trial,
but a closed door trial, for related to drugs cases.
Accused can ask lawyer to defend himslef in closed door
trail.So,many local opposition like CSJ and foreign medias are
wrong when they says detained without trial.
All have been trieal behind closed door.
@@@@@@@@@@@@@2
Crime lords draft Sydney teens
48 comment(s) about this story
i suggest u read comments in Oz news to know
oz better.
2.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,24592196-421,00.html
3.Bikies probed over missing witness
,,,
you're so misguided i'm not sure even if it would work if you're presented with evidence
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lionnoisy is right, Oz has too lienient laws...but a new bill or legislation is under consideration in OZ parliament to ban handguns currently.
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SS, are you putting people on, or are you just fucking stupid? If you're going to commit crimes with a registered handgun, you're just asking to get fucked. Unfortunately, criminals aren't as moronic as you are, and banning handguns isn't going to do a goddamned thing because what they've got is illegal in the first place.
Idiot.
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hey guys,the cases u quote for SG crimes are true.
But i think we need to see the big pictures of a city as a forest,
not just look at a tree or some leaves.
We have one million plus foreigners and 400,000 PR in SG.
u know?
Couple hid in bedroom as intruder shot
A MAN has described how he and his partner cowered in bed fearing for their lives when a man was shot at their Geelong home in Victoria
Couple hid in bedroom as intruder shot
November 04, 2008
A MAN has described how he and his partner cowered in bed fearing for their lives when a man was shot at their Geelong home in Victoria last night.
Ray Dannatt, 52, said he and his partner Sharon barricaded themselves in their bedroom as up to four men tried to break into their house, the Geelong Advertiser reported.
He believed the men were trying to break into the home by smashing the patio window with a rifle before one of them was accidentally shot.
A 35-year-old man was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital in a critical condition after being shot in the head and chest at the address about 10pm (AEST).
Mr Dannatt said the shooting was not related to a bikie gang dispute and instead was an attempted robbery gone wrong.
The father of five said he was lying in bed when the gunshot was fired.If criminals have guns and the good citizens like u and me dunt have,
it is a damn disadvantage to us.
But we are in 21 century,not 18 th century in the West.
It is the responsibility of gavaman to control the boarder properly,
give heavy penalty to carrying and possession of guns,
reduce corruptions and give more powers to security agencies,
like ISA etc to stop inflow and circulations of guns.
Remember a new owner was welcomed by few dozens of shoots!!
How many police or army Oz need to stop and search Bikes
say 10 bikes?
mnnnn
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WTF!!Police knew the phone number of the caller
seeking urgent help.But police dunt know the address!!
Police called the number but only reached answering machine .
Police left the block and 10 mins later,
More calls told authorities that her 19-year-old boyfriend had also fallen from the balcony to the ground trying to escape alleged murderer and rapist Brendan David Dennison, 26.
Oh Oz!!Police knows the phone number but dunt know the address!!
So,i think SG police can do much better.
U try make a prank call in SG,even in public phone....
Desperate 000 call: 'You need to help me'
"YOU need to help me" pleaded a victim in a call to Triple-0 25 minutes before a woman was forced to her death off a balcony.
@@@@@@@
so sad.Police DID reach the block to looking for the unit where
the Emergency call came from.They cannot trace the exact unit
from the phonr system.
Police could not find the unit.
After they left,the students from PRC girl and Korean boy fell to the ground
from few story height to escape the robber who raped both of them.
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I am suprised that oz medias did not query if the Police
did enough to look for the emergency caller from the block.
I am also wandering what will medias say if the victims are Oz
citizens--ang moh ?
I also wander if international media report this news?
WTF!!The police know the phone number but dunt know the address
from the phone system!!
A Redfern police crew arrived at the building at the corner of McEvoy and Hunter Sts five minutes after the call at 1.20pm on Sunday, October 26.
Triple-0 operators had traced the phone number to the block, but when the officers arrived they found hundreds of apartments and were unable to find the person who had made the call.
They reported they were unable to hear screaming and the dispatcher tried calling the number but reached an answering machine.nnn
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Naked man and woman jump from balcony escaping intruder
http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,,24556950-952,00.html
Balcony fall fleeing intruder
to her death. The pair were found naked after falling 35m from a balcony of a unit on McEvoy St, Waterloo…
from the third floor balcony of a unit on Hunter Street at Waterloo shortly before 2pm (AEDT) yesterday. The woman… -
Either way,I'm moving off from this life-less country just for the reason of Airsoft guns.I probably buy a real firearm too.Nothing's stopping me.
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Originally posted by ClaT:
Either way,I'm moving off from this life-less country just for the reason of Airsoft guns.I probably buy a real firearm too.Nothing's stopping me.
u have to buy a powerful one.Bad guys are using rifles!!
Boy finds bag of high-powered guns in western Sydney park
All five weapons - three SKS self-loading rifles, one with a bayonet attached and two other high-powered rifles were seized by police for examination.
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Singapore is a police state, adopting a "gulity until proven innocent" perception, with much harsher laws on crime. It doesn't take a genius to link that to a lower crime rate. However, every system has its pros and cons, we suffer chronically from a fear of State, we fear saying anything controversial, be it of value or not. More often then not, the state keeps in face archaic criminal laws, which its does not enforce after the execution of the crime, instead it keeps the threat of having the ability to prosecute whenever it deems fit, all this to keep us in fear. "Don't oppose the government or else"
Most of you probably committed a crime of some sort without even knowing it.
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I feel Oz has alot of advantages as compared to Sg but unfortunately in terms of the security I do touch my heart and agree with lionnoisy on this one. I am aware that Sg's security has its flaws - ISA and all that but i would gladly choose Sg's security over Oz. I have stayed in both countries for >5 years.
My condolences to the parents in mourning whatever country they came from
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A wrong assessment
Balcony death girl felt safe in Sydney
THE Chinese student who fell to her death from the third-floor balcony of a Sydney flat had told her mother Australia was a safe place full of friendly people.
Her(The ill fated girl from PRC) stepfather has served with the Chinese police for 29 years and said that in that time he has never seen anything so atrocious as the circumstances surrounding his stepdaughter's death.
"Honestly, over my past three decades in my police career I've never come across such (an) atrocious crime," he said.
mmnmm
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Originally posted by Genie99a:
I feel Oz has alot of advantages as compared to Sg but unfortunately in terms of the security I do touch my heart and agree with lionnoisy on this one. I am aware that Sg's security has its flaws - ISA and all that but i would gladly choose Sg's security over Oz. I have stayed in both countries for >5 years.
My condolences to the parents in mourning whatever country they came from
u are rare and brave to go against the crowd.
pl share with us what did u see, hear and feel in Oz!!
Without fear and favour!!
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
u are rare and brave to go against the crowd.
pl share with us what did u see, hear and feel in Oz!!
Without fear and favour!!
Police in OZ is simply bo chap.
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Originally posted by Genie99a:
I feel Oz has alot of advantages as compared to Sg but unfortunately in terms of the security I do touch my heart and agree with lionnoisy on this one. I am aware that Sg's security has its flaws - ISA and all that but i would gladly choose Sg's security over Oz. I have stayed in both countries for >5 years.
My condolences to the parents in mourning whatever country they came from
The "police statenness" of singapore is imo, does not really interefere in your life. Instad of thinking that is something dark and sinister, like most singaporeans do, take it in a positive light. U can help the police to enforce law and order for the country.
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Couple robbed by man armed with parang
A YOUNG couple were trying to find some private time at the Marina Promenade Park (Singapore) when a parang-wielding robber walked up to them and told them to hand over their valuables.
When Mr Razif Hazmi Rahmat's girlfriend, 21, protested, the robber slapped her thigh with the flat of the 60cm blade.
Speaking to The Straits Times from his flat in Toh Guan Road, Mr Razif, 20, a polytechnic student, said their assailant walked up to them at about 1.30am on Saturday.
'He threatened to 'hammer' us if we did not comply,' he recalled.
'He took everything - our bags, handphones, watches and MP3 player - and only gave back our identity cards when we asked for them.'
The medium-built man wore a black long-sleeved shirt paired with black trackpants. He also wore a black cap. He looked to be in his 40s, was about 1.7m tall and spoke in English, said Mr Razif.
'But his speech was slurred, like a drug addict's, and I don't think this was the first time he was doing this,' added Mr Razif.
The robber threatened the couple before he walked off in the direction of Beach Road.
'He said that if we shouted or screamed for help, he'd come back and slash us,' Mr Razif said.
The couple fearfully waited until the robber had walked some distance away before fleeing in the opposite direction - towards Marina Square. There, they waited for more than an hour before venturing back to the Promenade Park, near the Kallang River, to get Mr Razif's motorcycle.
'My girlfriend was in tears, she was so traumatised,'? he said.
'All I could think of at the time was to stay calm, and getting the whole thing over with by giving him what he wanted, including my ATM PIN number,' said Mr Razif.
He later found that the robber had managed to withdraw the last $30 in his bank account.
But he will not step near the area again, he said. 'I think he will strike again and I would not want to go there.'
Police are investigating and have appealed for anyone with information to contact 1800-255-0000 -
Strangled His Stepdaughter - Guilty Or Not?
He claimed today in the High Court that when he placed his hands around her neck and squeezed, he did not intend to kill his 15-year old stepdaughter. This is the claim of 46-year old bus driver, Ong Pang Siew. He says that the strangling death was not deliberate or intentional and he did not know how much force he had applied. The tragic incident occurred on October 20th last year at Ong's ex-wife's (39-year old, Xiu Yanhong) apartment at Marsiling Drive. Today marked the fifth day of Ong's murder trial, and he was cross-examined by Deputy Public Prosecutor Amarjit Singh. The victim was Pan Hui, was the daughter of Madam Xiu from her first marriage in China. Ong and Xiu were married in 2002 and divorced last year. Together they have a son, who is now aged five. Ong stated that he does not know why he was so agitated nor why he constricted her neck. "At that time, she also raised her voice and told me not to disturb her. I was angry with my ex-wife and a little angry with her as well". Ong went one step further and claimed that he was under the influence of alcohol on the day in question. The prosecuter believes this was a ploy for Ong to assume no responsibility for his actions due to loss of control. The DPP asked Ong if he in fact murdered the girl out of revenge for his ex-wife divorcing him and not allowing him access to their son. Ong vehemently denied this allegation. The case continues with an expert witness to appear on behalf of the defence, who will claim that Ong was suffering from severe depression at the time, and hence reduced his mental responsibility for his killing. Ong sobbed uncontrollably while on the stand. In Hokkien, he was heard to say "I am prepared to accept the death sentence if I really did it intentionally. I went to repair our relationship. I also wanted to ask if she was happy to have received her (Singapore) Identity Card". 
Upon further examination of Ong on the stand, it was revealed that Mdm Xiu had taken their son, Cong He, to her Tanjong Katong shop on the day of the tragedy. Earlier he had missed an appointment to see Cong He at the Marsiling apartment and was angry with Madam Xiu for not calling him and waking him up. After arguing with Xiu on the phone, Ong rode his bike to Block 24 Marsiling Drive to see his stepdaughter. But after he arrived, they also got into an argument. Ong claims this was because he had discovered that his son had been beaten. Ong claimed he was surprised when his stepdaughter raised her voice and "appeared to reach for a knife near her computer". He went on to say that a struggle ensued and that was when he pressed his hands on his stepdaughter’s neck and head and asked her why she and her mother were treating him so badly. Ong said "It was only when the ambulance arrived that I realised I had killed an innocent child. Before that, my stepdaughter was motionless and that was when I called my ex-wife to say she had forced me to kill her daughter". He claims that he did not know that the girl was dead and thought she had only passed out. If found guilty on the charge of murder, Ong will face the death penalty. Article from Aussie Pete -
In the following article, which was published in The New Paper, a local Singaporean newspaper, on Nov 7 2007, you get to read for yourself the horrific facts about the way in which some criminals attack others. This article was written by Kor Kian Beng.
'They came out of nowhere'THE parang attack ended as swiftly as it had begun.
In less than five minutes, the attackers had fled the scene after pouncing on a group of seven friends.
The silence was telling too. It was as if the gang of around eight male attackers was focused on just slashing their victims.
One victim said the attackers were so quiet that all he could hear was the sounds of parangs slicing their bodies.
But the ferocity of the attack was never in doubt.
It left two victims lying in a pool of their own blood.
One had his left hand nearly chopped off - he "could feel it dangling".
Another victim managed to flee the scene, but not before getting a deep cut that stretched from his right ear to his mouth.
A fourth man and the three women who were with them escaped unharmed.
All three victims, men in their mid-20s, survived the vicious attack, which happened outside Liang Court shopping complex near Clarke Quay at about 4am on Sunday.
It was the latest in a string of similar horrific incidents.
The trio, who are colleagues at a pest control company, and their family members declined to be identified when The New Paper spoke to them in hospital.
All three victims claimed the attack had been unprovoked and that neither they nor their friends had offended anyone recently.
They also insisted they had not stepped on anyone's toes while partying at the nearby Ministry of Sound (MOS) on Saturday night, shortly before they were attacked.
Other knife and blade attacks on victims in Singapore in 2007
- Bar manager Eugene Chua, 31, beaten up after leaving a pub at Clarke Quay on 23 Apr. He died two days later. Three women and two men have been jailed for the attack.
- Five friends attacked by seven parang-wielding men at the void deck of Block 13, Eunos Crescent on 7 Sep. They suffered injuries to head, stomach and hands.
- On the same day, a 17-year-old was attacked by six parang-wielding men at the void deck of Block 463, Tampines Street 44. He suffered injuries on head, back and shoulder.
- An 18-year-old attacked by three parang-wielding men near Block 159, Tampines Street 12 on 15 Jun. He suffered hand injuries.
- Mr Zainal Nek, 46, died after being attacked by a motorcycle gang near a Central Square nightspot on 17 Sep last year. Six men have been jailed for the attack.
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IT'S an issue that divides the protectors and those who wish to be protected.
To the police, the law is clear. If an offence is non-seizable, they can't make an arrest. Their hands are tied by the law.
But for the civilian, it is confusing, frustrating, and at times, infuriating.
His logic, governed by emotions, is simple: If a person gets beaten up, his assailant should be detained for questioning, arrested, investigated and possibly prosecuted.
The New Paper reported that Mr Kelvin Lee was punched in the face by a stranger last Wednesday. The blow knocked out four of his teeth and left him with a bloodied mouth.
Yet, his alleged attacker was not arrested initially because the police had classified the case under Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Penal Code.
This is a non-seizable offence, meaning no immediate arrest.
Non-seizable offences require a magistrate's authorisation before the police can make an arrest or exercise full powers of investigation.
But if the police assess that the case is of significant public concern, the investigating officer (IO) will apply for an order to investigate, especially if the victim is young, infirm, elderly or disabled.
The police have since told Mr Lee that the police would be investigating the case and that he need not lodge a magistrate's complaint.
But in any reasonable person's book, Mr Lee's injuries may be seen as grievous hurt.
This was the gist of the letters received.
Voluntarily causing grievous hurt comes under Section 325, a seizable offence, which empowers the police to arrest the culprit.
So why did the police not classify Mr Lee's case under Section 325?
Lawyer Nakoorsha Abdul Kadir points to the categories of injuries listed under the section.
In the Penal Code, a person who causes 'hurt' is defined as someone who causes 'bodily pain, disease or infirmity to any person'.
But only the following injuries are classified as grievous hurt: castration, permanent damage to either eye, ear or limb/joint, permanent disfiguration of the head or face, or fracture/dislocation of a bone.
Grievous hurt is also said to have taken place if the victim's life was put in danger, or if he, as a result of the assault, was in severe pain or unable to go about his daily activities for 20 days.
Mr Nakoorsha said: 'Technically, (Mr Lee's injuries) may not fall into any of the categories.
'But the police can always upgrade his case to a seizable one (if they later find the assault was more serious).'
Former police officer Luke Lee, who is now a criminal lawyer , said the police may have their own 'internal guidelines' for Section 323 cases.
'When I was with the police, we used them to determine how the case should be treated and how far the investigations should go.'
ALLEGATION
He declined to disclose the guidelines.
'But the case should be investigated anyway as there was an allegation of a racist remark,' he said.
The victim had said his alleged attacker accused him of making a racist remark, which he denied.
Another former cop, Mr Lionel De Souza, felt the police had 'failed to exercise initiative and prudence'.
He said he would have arrested
Mr Lee's alleged assailant.
'(Mr Lee) was reported to be bleeding from the mouth. To a reasonable man, his injury could be serious,' the private investigator noted.
'In such a situation, I would, as the IO, classify the case as voluntarily causing grievous hurt, for the purpose of investigation.'
But, he said that after questioning the assailant and formally charging him under Section 325, he would release him on police bail till Mr Lee's detailed medical report is out.
'If the report shows his injuries don't fall under any of the categories of grievous hurt, I'd then amend the charge to voluntarily causing hurt.'
There is another dimension to the issue: The possibility of the police abusing their power if they're allowed to make arrests in all cases.
It's a matter of exercising discretion, Mr De Souza argued.
'Police investigators are vested with investigation powers under the Criminal Procedure Code, and they should exercise due diligence and discretion when investigating cases similar to Mr Lee's,' he said.
The police also do not want people to make indiscriminate reports or to use it as a malicious tool.
Mr Nakoorsha noted: 'There's a good reason why the police can't just arrest anyone. If (the law allows them to), it will be abused.'
And he feels victims of assault should not underestimate the power of a magistrate's complaint.
It's a simple process, he said - go to the court, fill up a form and submit the necessary documents. The magistrate will decide on the same day if the case warrants further investigation.
'It's a fast and efficient process, and it's free. As long as you show you have grounds for a case, the magistrate will direct the police to investigate.'
Last year, 3,659 magistrate's complaints were filed, according to a report in The Straits Times last month. Of these, 32 per cent concerned alleged assaults, making it the most common grievance brought before a magistrate.
If a criminal charge can't stick, the victim can take the culprit to court in a civil suit.
But that involves a lot more work - and money. The victim has to hire a lawyer, get witnesses and go through other legal procedures. And the burden of proof is on him, Mr Nakoorsha said.
But while there's legal recourse for victims, the bigger question is: Will the perception that the police lack bite or are reluctant to make an arrest embolden the violent?
This becomes more pertinent in the light of recent violence reported in schools and in nightspots.
Would school bullies now get the signal that it's okay to bash the weak?
Readers who reacted to the report on Mr Lee's attack raised concerns that there could be a growing disregard for authority. -
Okok Mr Lion, I get u..... U are trying to say Spore is the most perfect country to live in and no where else.
Why cant ppl here get straight to the point?