Singaporean woman, 33, gets S$24K fine for consenting her firm’s private investigators to surveil police officer

Summary

• Tan Hui Ting, 33, was fined S$24,000 on Sept 15 after admitting to unauthorised surveillance of a police officer.

• Her private investigation firm received S$25,100 for monitoring Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lee Tien Huat from Dec 2021 to Jan 2022.

• Investigators followed DSP Lee at his home and workplace, with some surveillance operations lasting more than 12 hours.

SINGAPORE: A 33-year-old Singaporean woman was fined S$24,000 after allowing her private investigation firm to surveil a police officer without the required approval.

Tan Hui Ting, a partner at CDiC Consultants, pleaded guilty on Sept 15 to one charge under the Private Security Industry Act. A second charge was taken into consideration, and she paid the fine in full.

The case began in November 2021, when client Pai Hong Yao hired the firm to investigate Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Lee Tien Huat. DSP Lee was handling a matter involving Pai’s father.

Pai was unhappy with the police officer’s investigation and wanted to assess whether DSP Lee was a “good or bad policeman,” CNA reported (Sept 15).

Surveillance continued for several weeks

Hui Ting and fellow partner Tan Kok Boon agreed to take the assignment despite knowing that DSP Lee was a police officer.

CDiC then deployed private investigators between December 16, 2021 and January 9, 2022. They followed DSP Lee at his home and workplace, tracked his movements and photographed him.

Some surveillance sessions lasted more than 12 hours. One began at 7:35 a.m. and ended at midnight.

Investigators also contacted the Police Cantonment Complex to check whether DSP Lee was inside. Hui Ting regularly passed updates and photographs to Pai. The firm received S$25,100 for the assignment.

Approval was required before the surveillance began

The Police Cantonment Complex is a protected area where sensitive law enforcement work takes place. CDiC didn't obtain the required written approval from a licensing officer before conducting the surveillance.

The surveillance ended after DSP Lee noticed he was being followed on January 9, 2022. He made a police report the next day.

Deputy Public Prosecutors Hairul Hakkim and Bharat Punjabi sought a S$25,000 fine, citing security and public order concerns.

Defence lawyer Aristotle Eng sought a lower fine, saying Hui Ting mainly handled the client and coordinated updates rather than supervising the operation.

The offence carries up to two years’ jail, a S$50,000 fine, or both.

Private investigators still have legal limits

The case demonstrates that hiring a licensed investigator doesn't give clients or firms unlimited freedom to conduct surveillance.

There are rules around sensitive assignments, especially when police officers and protected government premises are involved. These rules exist regardless of whether the client believes the investigation is justified.

A private investigation may answer a client's questions, but the work still has to stay within the law. This is also a fairly sensible line to draw.