Singapore—The Singapore Police Force (SPF) issued a press release announcing that three men teenagers are under investigation for sending a false message via the social media app, Instagram.
The teens were between the ages of 17 and 19.
At 11:50 pm on October 28, the Police received an alert concerning an Instagram story that featured one male teen threatening another with a chopping knife.
The identities of the three teenagers behind the prank were determined by the officers from the Jurong Police Division, who had carried out follow up investigations on the matter. The young men were arrested on October 29.
The police investigations showed that the teens were just playing around, and “were not in any immediate or imminent danger.”
In their prank, the teens had even tagged the Singapore Police Force as a joke.
The police added that investigations are still ongoing.
The penalty for sending a fabricated or false message is a fine not greater than S$10,000, or a jail term not longer than three years, or both.
Some netizens were swift to condemn the teenagers for their foolhardy prank, calling their actions “stupid” and “irresponsible.”
Other netizens agreed, saying that teens from the ages of 17 to 19 are old enough to distinguish right from wrong.
Others believe that they should be given a second chance.
Some commenters said the police should not be made fun of.
Others wondered that the police actually check social media.
True to form, some believe that the fault lies in the teens’ upbringing.
This is the second time in a little over a month that teenage boys have run afoul of the law. On September 30, TISG reported concerning the arrest of 7 of 14 teenagers at Singapore Boys Home. The teens had been charged with rioting, according to the Ministry for Social and Family Development (MSF).
Fourteen residents from the juvenile detention centre run by MSF were arrested by 50 police officers outfitted with riot gear on September 27, after the police were called in when the group “behaved in an unruly manner.”
An auxiliary police officer and two male staff from the home were conveyed to the hospital the same night.
According to MSF head Desmond Lee, the boys – who are between the ages of 14 and 17 – used “sports equipment” to assault officers who arrived at the scene after the boys caused a “mass disturbance” at the open yard after sports activities.
Lee added that the identity of the seven who have been charged in court for rioting will not be released due to their age and that the remaining seven who were arrested will be returned to the Boys Home./ TISG
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7 of 14 teenagers arrested at Singapore Boys Home charged with rioting: MSF