Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam posted an update on Facebook on Wednesday night (April 20) regarding four separate incidents involving people wielding dangerous weapons.
The police dealt with four violent incidents involving dangerous weapons last month, said Mr Shanmugam.
The first case was an attacker, 37, swinging a sword at passing cars and a passerby along Buangkok Crescent on March 14 at about 1:56 pm.
Preliminary investigations showed that the man had taken unknown pills before the incident.
“One male member of the public suffered two superficial slash wounds on his left arm and was conveyed to the hospital conscious. Another male member of the public suffered abrasions on his left knee,” said the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in a press release.
The next case happened at Strathmore Ave on the same day at about 6:20 pm, where a man, 33, claimed to hear voices telling him to attack people.
The man then injured two passersby using a razor blade. “The man has past records with the Institute of Mental Health. He is also traced for consumption of controlled drugs,” said SPF.
Also on the same day, at about 9:10 pm, the police received a call for assistance on a man allegedly armed with a knife shouting and looking for someone at Bukit Batok West Avenue 8.
During the engagement with the officers, the man purportedly pulled out a knife from underneath his t-shirt and threw it toward one of the police officers, which hit the officer’s right cheek. The knife was later seized.
Upon raiding the man’s residence, five other knives were seized.
The last case happened on March 23 at 4:07 pm, involving a man, 64, armed with a knife and shouting in the vicinity of Block 33 Bendemeer Road.
The officers instructed the man to drop the weapon, but he refused to comply despite multiple warnings. The man then advanced toward the officers, still armed with the knife.
Despite officers firing three taser shots at the man, he continued to advance toward the officers.
As there was an imminent threat to the safety of the officers, one of the officers fired a shot from his pistol at the man, and the man fell to the ground. He was later pronounced dead at 5:13 pm.
“The incidents above involved attackers suspected to be under the influence of drugs or with a history of substance abuse,” said Mr Shanmugam.
“Drug abuse may lead to aggression, violent behaviour, hallucination, and loss of control of their senses and reality. These attacks could have led to greater harm if the armed attackers were not stopped in time.”
Members from the online community urged authorities to continue implementing harsh penalties on drug-related offences.
“That’s why the law against drugs must be firm and not be changed. Likewise, customs should start to look into new technology to detect those prohibited items,” said Facebook user Desmond Tan.
“Please continue to be tough against drugs. Despite our tough laws, drug issues are still prevalent,” added Facebook user Patrick Lau.
Under the Singapore Misuse of Drugs Act, there are three main types of drug offences: drug possession, consumption, and trafficking.
The first and second offences are punishable by up to 10 years’ imprisonment, a fine of up to S$20,000, or both.
Drug trafficking is punishable with imprisonment, caning, or the mandatory death penalty, depending on the class and the quantity of the drugs trafficked. /TISG
https://theindependent.sg/fight-breaks-out-beside-katong-square-one-man-with-tattoos-retrieving-weapon-to-attack/