Singapore— Minister for Home Affairs and Law K Shanmugam said on Tuesday (May 25) that a video published by The Online Citizen Asia (TOC) about alleged police bullying of an old woman is “despicable” and “malicious”.

Mr Shanmugam said that TOC “twisted facts” in a video interview with the woman, adding that the police stand by their statement that they were actually helping her.

He added that TOC should desist from attacking police, who are just “doing their jobs”, and to keep its “venom and malice” to politics, TODAY reports.

The incident was first featured on May 18 on the Instagram account @nichology, wherein police officers were accused of bullying an elderly woman at Block 735 Yishun Avenue 5. 

Four police officers supposedly surrounded the woman, who had taken off her mask as she was feeling unwell, and kept harassing her even after she had put her mask back on.

 @nichology’s account of the incident was shared by TOC and Singapore Uncensored.

But it was denied by the police.

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According to the police, they helped the woman find her way back home and even bought her food since it was dinnertime.

The police said in a statement on May 19, “To clarify, the Police had responded to the incident as an 85-year-old woman, who did not have a mask on, appeared to be lost at the said location. Police officers had attended to the elderly woman to help her find her way home. With the help of a member of the public, it was subsequently established that the elderly woman, believed to have dementia, resided in a nearby block and her domestic helper was contacted to bring her home.”

On Friday, May 21, the police issued correction directions and targeted correction direction under the Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (Pofma) to @nichology, Singapore Uncensored and TOC.

However, on Tuesday (May 25), TOC posted a video on its Facebook account of an interview with the woman, which supposedly contradicts what the police have said.

The elderly woman says in the video that she was“chased” back to her residence and that the police did not buy her food.

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The police then released footage on its Facebook page on May 25 from a body camera worn by one officer that countered the TOC interview.

The woman’s family consented to the release of the video, and confirmed that she indeed has dementia. 

The family member added that the elderly woman “may not remember the full account of the incident clearly”. She expressed disappointment that someone had interviewed the elderly woman and posted it online without any attempt to understand the elderly woman’s condition from her family members.

The police officer’s body camera footage shows the officer was advising the domestic helper to remind the elderly woman to wear a mask, and was not taunting or reprimanding the elderly woman; and that the officer did buy a packet of food for the elderly woman.

Mr Shanmugam talked to journalists afterwards, saying that he had asked the police to publish the clips, as the TOC interview had not been clear.

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“The police statement was correct, accurate and what TOC says is false.”

The minister added: “I would say this is despicable and how low people will stoop. Unethical and cynical. This whole exercise by TOC is quite malicious to attack the police.”

Mr Shanmugam also talked about the policeman who had helped the woman.

“The officer who is seen speaking in the video has 23 years of service in the Singapore Police Force and 21 years in Yishun South Neighbourhood Police Post.

“He is an officer with a heart.

“It’s not part of a police officer’s duty to go and buy food for people who are lost, but instead he gets branded as a bully. It’s really quite sad.”

He added, “Don’t bring that toxicity to attack police officers. Spare them. They are just doing their job.”

/TISG

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