Seven men, aged between 19 and 57, were charged in court yesterday (16 May) for seven separate cases of using abusive language and criminal force, as well as voluntarily causing hurt to public servants.

In the first case, that occurred on 7 April 2018, a 57-year-old man is alleged to have bumped and pushed an enforcement officer from the National Environment Agency along North Bridge Road when he was checked for littering.

The man was charged with using criminal force otherwise than on grave and sudden provocation, as well as using criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty.

In the second case, that occurred on 8 July 2018, a 19-year-old man is alleged to have pushed an officer from the National Parks Board and used his elbow to hit her arm and chest when he was caught fishing illegally at Sungei Buloh Reserve. The man was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of her duty.

In the third case, that occurred on 18 December 2018, a 21-year-old man is alleged to have assaulted a police officer at the junction of Serangoon Road and Bukit Timah Road. During the arrest, the man is alleged to have hurled vulgarities and spat at the police officers.

The man was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty and using criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty. He will also be charged with using abusive language against a public servant.

In the fourth case, that occurred on 1 January 2019, a 27-year-old man is alleged to have assaulted a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force while he was seeking medical treatment at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The man was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty.

In the fifth case, that occurred on 1 January 2019, a 49-year-old man is alleged to have hurled vulgarities and spat at the police officers at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The man was charged with using criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty and using abusive language against a public servant.

In the sixth case, that occurred on 4 January 2019, a 26-year-old man is alleged to have pushed and hurled vulgarities at a police officer when he was checked during a road block at Hougang. The man was charged with using criminal force to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty and using abusive language against a public servant.

In the final case, that also occurred on 4 January 2019, a 38-year-old man is alleged to have assaulted and hurled vulgarities at police officers along South Bridge Road. The man was charged with voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty and using abusive language against a public servant.

Anyone convicted for using abusive language against a public servant under Section 6(3) of the Protection from Harassment Act shall be punished with an imprisonment term not exceeding 12 months, or with a fine not exceeding S$5,000/-, or with both.

The offence of voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from the discharge of his duty under Section 332 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 is punishable with an imprisonment term which may extend to seven years, or with a fine, or with caning, or with any combination of such punishments.

The offence of using criminal force against a public servant in the discharge of his duty under Section 353 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224 is punishable with an imprisonment term which may extend to four years, or with fine, or with both.

In a media statement released on Wednesday (15 Mar), the Singapore Police Force said that it has “zero tolerance towards such acts of violence against public servants who are carrying out their duties and will not hesitate to take action against those who blatantly disregard the law.”