Former policeman who was active member of secret society sentenced to a year's jail

SINGAPORE: A police officer who was an active member of two secret societies was on Wednesday (Jun 20) sentenced to a year's jail.

Umar Hassan, 38, joined a well-known secret society which had a history of offences like armed robberies and kidnappings in 1996, the court heard. He left the society in May 1999 when he joined the Singapore Police Force, a position he held for 18 years.

However, Umar, who was a Senior Staff Sergeant at the Ang Mo Kio Division, went back to the secret society in 2007 and became a senior gang member. 

He was with the society for about nine years and eight months, the court heard.

Umar also founded another secret society which began as a motorcycle group in 2001. He was an active recruiter for the gang, which he was a member of for about eight years, and asked for this gang to be affiliated to the first.

He was arrested in November 2016 after a video clip of a group of men from this gang chanting gang slogans during a Malay wedding went viral on Facebook.

Umar was in the WhatsApp chat group with the gang and he was aware that the gang members were providing the escort for the wedding convoy while wearing helmets with designs signalling gang affiliation.

Six helmets and four shirts with designs related to the two secret societies were seized from Umar's home.

UMAR'S MEMBERSHIP WAS NOT PASSIVE: DISTRICT JUDGE

Umar was convicted on two charges of being a member of an unlawful society.

"The suppression of secret societies is a serious matter, and it has been a long-term problem," said Judge Jasvender.

She noted that Umar was a senior member in the first gang and at the core of the second gang, as its headman. 

"The accused's membership was not passive," she said. "He was involved in introducing people to the headman of (the first gang) for the purpose of being recruited as members."

Judge Jasvender added that he gained protection for the second gang by affiliating the two, actively promoting the breach of the law by others.

"It is bad enough when an ordinary citizen joins a secret society," said the judge. "Here, the accused was not an ordinary citizen. He was a serving police officer when he rejoined and professed membership as a senior gang member (of the first gang) and affiliated (the second gang) with it."

While noting that there was no evidence that Umar abused his powers as a police officer, "the fact that he was a serving police officer is plainly an aggravating factor of very considerable impact".

"Nothing could be better calculated to undermine regard for the integrity of the Singapore Police Force than one of its members being a senior member of a secret society and a headman of a gang affiliated with it," Judge Jasvender said.

In passing the sentence the judge said a strong message must be sent to law enforcement officers who knowingly contravene the law and participate in activities of unlawful societies.

Anyone who is or who acts as a member of an unlawful society faces a jail term of up to three years, a fine of up to S$5,000, or both.