Police station inspector fined for pushing the heads of 2 NSFs towards his groin

SINGAPORE: A police station inspector who pushed the heads of two full-time national servicemen towards his groin was fined S$3,000 on Wednesday (Apr 13).

Yick Wai Hong, 47, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal force. He was an assistant duty officer at the time of the offences in and around January 2020. Both victims were under his supervision.

On Jan 23 that year, Yick and the first victim, then 21, were on shift during the wee hours of the morning.

Yick asked the younger man if he wanted to take a short break. It was implied that he would cover the victim's duties during the break, stated court documents.

The victim took up the offer. Yick then used his hand to push the victim's head, causing it to move towards Yick's groin.

The push was not hard but it was unexpected, and Yick knew it was likely to cause annoyance, said Deputy Public Prosecutor Tan Yen Seow.

The victim's face was "a finger's length away" from Yick's groin, and he felt shocked, disgusted and humiliated by what had happened, said the prosecutor.

The victim also thought that Yick's actions were "an abuse of power and a form of sexual harassment", said Mr Tan.

The victim left the room and resumed his duty five to 10 minutes later. He had no further contact with Yick after that.

The next day, the victim reported the matter in a feedback form he had received for his operationally ready date. He also made a police report after speaking to his superiors.

After this, the victim's superiors asked other NSFs if they had similar encounters with Yick.

This prompted the second victim, then 23, to reveal that Yick had behaved inappropriately towards him sometime in or before January 2020.

On that occasion, Yick was leaning against the second victim's table and eating snacks. He did not say anything to the victim.

When the victim leaned towards Yick to take some of the snacks, Yick pushed the back of the victim's head towards his groin. This push was hard and sudden, and the victim's forehead touched Yick's groin.

The victim felt that Yick had been disrespectful and rude to him. He also felt scared of Yick as he believed that he had been molested, said the prosecutor.

Yick walked away from the victim and they did not say anything to each other after that.

The prosecution asked for a fine, with the amount set at the court's discretion.

Mr Tan highlighted that Yick was at the time "a relatively senior law enforcement officer, of whom higher standards may reasonably be expected".

"Instead of setting a good example to his junior police officers, he abused his position of power and undermined the high standing of the police force by behaving inappropriately towards them," said Mr Tan.

He added that the victims were vulnerable as they had little choice with regard to their workplace and superiors.

Mr Tan also said it was important to deter such offences as they were difficult to detect, since NSFs may be wary of confronting their superiors about such conduct.

In mitigation, Yick's defence lawyer said there was no sexual intent in his client's actions, and that he had wanted to remind younger officers of the need to perform their duties with diligence.

Yick was "overzealous" about maintaining high work standards, and acted out when he perceived lapses in his subordinates' performance, said the lawyer.

The lawyer also said that it was a "painful fall from grace" for his client, a highly commended officer who had served for more than 20 years at the time of the offences.

The Singapore Police Force (SPF) told CNA that it had suspended Yick on Apr 8 last year. It has commenced internal action against him following his conviction.

Officers are expected to uphold the law and maintain high standards of discipline and integrity, said SPF.

"We deal with officers who break the law severely, including charging them in court."

The offence of using criminal force without provocation is punishable with up to three months' jail, a fine of up to S$1,500 or both.