SINGAPORE – A Certis Cisco Auxiliary Police Officer (APO), who sent a speeding e-scooter rider flying with a side-kick on Tuesday (Dec 10), has been suspended from active duty.

The incident, which was caught on camera, has stirred controversy and the police are looking into it.

Meanwhile, the Land Transport Authority (LTA), which had contracted Certis to carry out enforcement duties, said in a statement on Wednesday that it is also “investigating offences committed by the PMD (personal mobility device) rider, which include riding an unregistered and non-compliant PMD on public roads, and failing to stop his device when required by an officer”.

The PMD, weighing more than 30kg, well beyond the legal limit of 20kg, has been impounded. PMDs are not allowed on the roads and public footpaths.

Sharing details of the incident, the LTA said it took place when its officers along with Certis Cisco APOs were conducting enforcement duties along Bedok Reservoir Road around 6.40pm on Tuesday.

They spotted a PMD rider riding on the road at high speed.

A Certis spokesman added: “The rider ignored repeated instructions from the officers to stop as his actions could cause serious injuries to members of the public or himself. A Certis Cisco officer who was stationed at the next junction resorted to kicking his device when the rider refused to stop.”

In a video clip posted on SG Road Vigilante, a Facebook community page, the officer is spotted running across the dual-carriageway as the e-scooter rider approaches the junction at significant speed.

As the rider nears the junction without slowing down, the officer is seen side-kicking him. The rider loses control and his scooter hits the kerb, sending him tumbling onto the pavement behind some shrubs.

Both men sustained some injuries, Certis said. “The rider suffered abrasions on his right elbow and right knee and received medical attention from paramedics at the scene. The officer was also injured, and was treated at the site before heading to the hospital for further medical assistance,” said the Certis spokesman. 

The officer, who came in for praise by some netizens, now faces a disciplinary inquiry.

“Established enforcement protocols require officers to note down the appearance of the escaping PMD user as accurately as possible, and lodge a report with LTA. Certis has a zero-tolerance policy against rash acts and will not hesitate to take stern action against officers who are found to be in breach of protocol,” said the Certis spokesman, adding that the police were investigating the case.

The LTA said it “does not condone any behaviour that deviates from the established rules of engagement” in such enforcement operations.

But it added that it was also investigating the PMD rider.

The clip, which was captured by a vehicle dash-cam, has been shared widely on the Internet, and has garnered thousands of comments on various sites.

Reactions have been mixed, but a vast majority of netizens supported the officer’s action.

Facebook user Eugene Ang said: “This is a quick-thinking officer that safeguard the interest of the member of public. Had he not done so, imagine that errant PMD rider beating the red light at that speed jeopardising road users and pedestrians.”

But others questioned the officer’s methods. Johari Johan wrote: “Even though PMD rider is in the wrong, the action by the officer is too drastic. Imagine Traffic Police doing that to a motorcycle rider beating a red light.”

Benjamin Tan added: “I have no sympathy for reckless riders but this is surely excessive?”

In April, a video clip showing two LTA officers pinning down an e-scooter rider on the pavement was shared on Roads.Sg, another Facebook community page.

Lawyer Amogh Chakravarti, a partner at Dentons Rodyk & Davidson, said in acting to stop an errant rider, an LTA officer “is only empowered to use as much force as necessary to prevent the rider from causing physical harm to himself and others”.

Source: Read Full Article