Debated in Parliament on 2 Oct 2018.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh Pei Siong asked the Minister for Transport whether incidences of molestation on MRT premises are treated as high priority for staff intervention when they are reported and what happened with the 12 September 2018 incident at Serangoon MRT station.
Mr Speaker, Sir, on 12 September 2018 around 11.30 pm, a female passenger alerted the staff at the Passenger Service Centre at Serangoon Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) station that she had been molested by a male commuter onboard the train and at the station. The staff informed the Singapore Bus Service Transit Operations Control Centre (OCC), and the Public Transport Security Command of the Singapore Police Force (TransCom) was alerted immediately. Their swift actions enabled the Police to subsequently arrest a male suspect. Investigations are ongoing.
We take a serious view towards all security incidents. The Land Transport Authority (LTA) and TransCom will continue to work closely with the Public Transport Operators to ensure the safety of our commuters.
Assoc Prof Daniel Goh.
I thank the Senior Minister of State. Two questions. What is the protocol in such instances where the staff is alerted to the incident of alleged molestation? Does it involve giving chase or stopping the molester from escaping from the scene of crime? And are staff trained to handle the sensitivity of the victims who, understandably, would be emotionally distressed?
Mr Speaker, I thank the Member for the question. The protocol, without going into too many details, does not specifically instruct the staff to give chase. The first thing that the staff have to do is, of course, inform the network of support structures that we have, such as the OCC and TransCom, in case more resources and more assets are required to be deployed to the station. And certainly, the staff has a duty to the station and the responsibilities of the post as well. So, calling for help is the first part of the protocol.
There is the issue, of course, as to whether the perpetrator could become violent. And these are service staff of our Public Transport Operators. They are not trained to handle violent criminals and chase down and apprehend people like that. So, they also have to exercise some judgement about what intervention is appropriate for them.
Certainly, there is a significant amount of customer service training that the service staff undergo, including how to handle people who are victims of incidences like this.
PAPERCUTS