Digital display panels (DDPs) at Housing and Development Board (HDB) lift lobbies in the Woodgrove and Marsiling estates in Woodlands were discovered dislodged from their wall brackets, screens shattered.
Member of Parliament Hany Soh (PAP – Woodgrove ward of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC) shared the incident on Facebook on Thursday (Mar 24).
“It has been reported earlier this morning that 32 DDPs within our Woodgrove division have been vandalised,” wrote Ms Soh.
“The police is currently in the midst of their investigation, working closely with the DDP’s operator, Target Media and our Marsiling-Yew Tee Town Council,” she added.
“Vandalism is a serious offence punishable by law. It is unfortunate that the DPPs intended to provide useful information for our residents have been vandalised in such a manner. I hope that we can all play our part in taking care of the facilities in our neighbourhoods for the benefit of everyone,” said Ms Soh.
She attached photos of the panels on the ground, the screens damaged and broken glass surrounding the area.
According to a Straits Times report, at least another nine other DDPs were reported to have been damaged.
“When the Target Media team arrived at the site, the DDPs were found to be badly smashed and dislodged from their locations,” said the operator representative.
“The wirings were also forcibly pulled out together with the panels, resulting in broken mounting plates and snapped wires.”
It is estimated that repairing each DDP panel will cost S$650. Work to remove and replace the DDPs are ongoing.
Responding to the incident, members from the online community wondered why anyone would do such a thing and if any nearby cameras could identify the suspect.
Facebook user Adrian Chan also said that the vandalism occurred early in the morning.
“I heard the smashings at about 2am onwards on the morning itself. The culprit/s was creating alot of smashing noises for at least 1hr around my area,” said Mr Chan.
“Alerted the police, didn’t know it was these until I read this post. Hope the police managed to catch the culprit,” he added.
Meanwhile, others said that they witnessed similar acts in their block./TISG
Another TikTok ‘Devious Licks’ challenge, youth walks away with gantry barrier