A 43-year-old woman was apprehended under Section 7 of the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act on Monday (Dec 14).
In videos circulating on social media and Whatsapp Messenger, two police officers can be seen trying to restrain a woman at a traffic light in front of Ang Mo Kio hub.
Shortly after, several more police officers arrived on scene. As the police officers are handcuffing the woman, the onlookers said they shouldn’t use force on a woman in that manner.
Later, one of the officers explained that the woman had behaved aggressively towards them.
In the video, the woman repeatedly shouts in Mandarin that the police are “beating” her.
Two passers-by accuse officers of manhandling the woman, with a female passer-by saying in Malay: “Why did they handcuff the woman? They can’t handcuff her.”
A man also shouts at the officers telling them that they should not be using force on her as she was a female.
In the video, a man in the red shirt says in Malay: “If it was a female officer, then it’s fine. But you guys are men.”
One policeman replies: “She was being aggressive towards us… we are doing our job.”
Police added that she also behaved in an “erratic and aggressive manner” near the road junction. One of the officers also showed a broken lanyard due to the woman’s actions.
In response to media queries, the police said that they received a call for assistance at 4:43 pm on Dec 14 in relation to a woman who was “believed to be of unsound mind and creating trouble”.
When the police officers arrived, they attempted to engage the 43-year-old woman but she was uncooperative and started shouting incoherently.
For her safety and the safety of other road users, the police officers proceeded to restrain her and bring her to safety.
Female police officers subsequently arrived at the scene to assist.-/TISG