Man charged with using sickle to slash Certis officer on smoking enforcement duty

SINGAPORE — A 30-year-old man was charged on Wednesday (Nov 11) with slashing a Certis auxiliary officer performing smoking enforcement duties for the National Environment Agency (NEA).

Vikneswaran Sivan, a Singaporean, faces one count of voluntarily causing hurt to the officer with a dangerous weapon.

He allegedly used a sickle to slash the back of the officer’s calves on Monday, according to court documents. It purportedly happened at 7.40pm at Block 503C Canberra Link.

If convicted, he could be jailed up to seven years, fined or caned, or any combination of the three. He is out on bail of S$15,000 and will return to court on Dec 9.

In an earlier statement, the police said that Vikneswaran also allegedly punched a second officer in the face. He has not been charged over this.

Both officers were taken in a conscious state to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, where one received outpatient treatment while the other was warded and in a stable condition, Certis and NEA said in a separate statement.

The two agencies added that the attack took place shortly after the officers had carried out a smoking enforcement action. 

“The attacker was a third party who was present, but not implicated in the smoking enforcement action that had taken place earlier,” they said.

Vikneswaran fled the scene before the police arrived, but was identified with police cameras and the Certis officers’ body-worn cameras.

He was arrested by officers from Woodlands Police Division within seven hours. The police also found a bloodstained sickle near the scene, believed to be the weapon used by the man.

Certis and NEA condemned the act, saying: “(We) have zero tolerance for any act of violence against our officers who work tirelessly to keep our environment clean and safe for the community. We will stand by our officers and render our full assistance to the police in their investigation.”