Police refute claims its officers bullied elderly woman who was not wearing a mask
SINGAPORE – The police have refuted allegations that they had bullied an elderly woman who was not wearing a mask in Yishun.
In a statement on Wednesday (May 19), the police said they were aware of various posts circulating online on an incident that occurred at Block 743 Yishun Avenue 5 on Monday evening.
The posts claim that four police officers had “clustered an elderly auntie that took off her mask because she was feeling breathless” and had continued to “tell her off” even after she put her mask on.
They also claim that an individual had to step in to “salvage the situation”.
The posts include a video of officers interacting with an elderly woman.
The police said the allegations in the posts are untrue, and the authorities are looking into the circulation of the falsehoods.
They added they had responded to the incident because an 85-year-old woman, who did not have a mask on, appeared to be lost at the location. The officers then attended to the woman to help her find her way home.
“With the help of a member of the public, it was subsequently established that the elderly woman, believed to have dementia, resided in a nearby block and her domestic helper was contacted to bring her home,” said the police.
As the incident took place during dinner time, the officers were concerned the woman might be hungry and bought food for her.
“No further police assistance was required after the elderly woman was handed over to her domestic helper safely,” the police added.
They also commended two members of the public for stepping forward to assist the woman. One of them offered her a mask, and an officer helped her to put it on. The other person also gave the woman several masks.
“We are heartened by the kind actions of those in the community who stepped forward to offer their assistance to make our community a safe and secure place to live in,” the police said.
They advised the public not to participate in the spreading of unverified information or make their own conjectures on an incident, and be responsible when posting or sharing any information online.
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