Staff followed safety protocol during campus slashing incident: ITE
A male teenager was injured after being slashed by another young man at ITE College West today afternoon. Screengrab from video by Faiz
SINGAPORE — While the slashing incident that took place on one of its campuses was an “isolated” one, the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) is reviewing its security measures, and security patrols have been stepped up in the meantime.
In a statement today (March 12) seeking to reassure the public on safety and security on its premises, Dr Yek Tiew Ming, principal of ITE College West — where the slashing took place on Tuesday — said the school will also examine the “sufficiency of security awareness programmes for students”.
Video clips of the attack had gone viral following the incident, showing students watching the attack and a security guard standing at the side. The attacker, 16-year-old Muhammad Zuhairie Adely Zulkifli, was charged on court on yesterday for going after Mr Ahmad Nurthaqif Sahed with a bread knife. The 19-year-old sustained lacerations and a fracture on his arm.
Dr Yew said that on the day of the incident, a security officer who arrived at the scene had attempted to stop the fight, and to keep other students away. He also called for reinforcements from the fire and security command centre and the police, and alerted ITE’s student guidance officers (SGOs), in line with safety protocol.
“Security guards and SGOs arrived at the scene within minutes to separate the two and to restrain the attacker. The attacker dropped the bread knife and fled the scene. ITE staff rendered first aid to the victim before the ambulance arrived,” he said.
All College West staff were then were informed of the incident so they could address any concerns from students. “The actions taken by the security staff and SGOs are in accordance with our standard operating procedures,” Dr Yew said.
He also stressed that ITE campuses are secure and safe. Security measures in place include security guards looking after persons on campus and access to key facilities and closed circuit television cameras at strategic locations. Student guidance officers and staff trained under the Volunteer Special Constabulary (VSC) also patrol the campuses throughout the day.
