Singapore — The police officers involved in the case of Ms Parti Liyani were found to have fallen short of expectations and neglected their duties, resulting in lapses, said Minister for Home Affairs K. Shanmugam on Monday (Feb 14).

Mr Shanmugam responded to Zhulkarnain Abdul Rahim (PAP – Chua Chu Kang GRC), who asked for an update in Parliament on Monday on the internal investigations conducted against the police officers linked to the case.

Both officers were fined, the penalties calculated through the number of months of salary increments foregone, said Mr Shanmugam in a Straits Times report.

He noted that both the investigation officer (IO) and his supervisor had neglected their duties, leading to three lapses.

The first was that the IO failed to visit the crime scene for prompt investigation and evidence collection. Reports noted that this contributed to a break in the chain of custody for some exhibits.

The IO also did not properly verify some of the parties’ claims during the investigations.

Lastly, the supervisor did not provide sufficient guidance during the investigations.

“Neglect of duty means the failure to take proper action to perform a required task,” said Mr Shanmugam.

However, he noted that the officers were doing their jobs under difficult circumstances, facing workload challenges amid a workforce shortage in the police force, reported ST.

The IO has been under intense pressure, handling multiple investigations, prosecutions and arrest operations, said Mr Shanmugam.

“I have spoken before about the workload challenges that police IOs face.”

Mr Shanmugam also said that police officers often exercise judgment and discretion while conducting their duties; hence, they cannot be put at fault solely because others don’t agree with their decision or exercise of discretion.

“I have sympathy for the situation that they find themselves in,” he said. “They have, however, fallen short of expectations.”

Mr Shanmugam said that the penalty for neglect of duty depends on the degree of culpability and extent of harm caused, ranging from a reprimand or a fine to demotion or dismissal.

He noted that both officers were given penalties in the medium range.

Mr Shanmugam said that “The only way to deal with this is to increase police’s headcount. We have not solved this issue yet. This is a difficult problem and not easily solvable, given the general manpower shortage.”

Ms Parti was convicted in March 2019 of stealing more than S$30,000 worth of items from her employer, former Changi Airport Group chairman Liew Mun Leong and his family.

The High Court overturned Ms Parti’s conviction on Sep 4, 2020.

Responding to the news, members from the online community said that a heavy workload does not justify the three lapses.