Cop hailed for going ‘beyond’ for kids
400 officers awarded for outstanding service yesterday
In October last year, Staff Sergeant Mohamad Farhan Mohamad Suhaili answered a call about a case of domestic dispute.
When the 31-year-old police officer reached the house in Toa Payoh, he found three young children alone in the locked two-bedroom flat after their parents had stormed out following a violent argument.
Standing outside the locked gate, Staff Sgt Farhan asked the three-year-old girl, the oldest, to bring him the milk bottle and milk powder so he could make milk for the crying baby. There was also a two-year-old.
The mother of the children was allegedly abused by the children's father.
The staff sergeant, a father of a two-year-old boy, told The New Paper: "I could not just leave the children there alone in the house. I will feel like I should have done more."
Staff Sgt Farhan, who has been in the force for 10 years, was one of about 400 officers awarded for outstanding service at yesterday's Minister's Awards Presentation Ceremony at the Home Team Academy.
Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for Home Affairs and Law K. Shanmugam said that normally officers go in, take care of the situation and then leave, "but this young officer went beyond and uncovered a serious case of spousal abuse and neglect".
He added: "His intervention protected both the wife and the three children. It made a big difference to their lives."
Another officer who received commendation was 30-year-old Immigration and Checkpoints Authority officer, Second Sergeant Muhammad Ridhuan Abdol Mutalib.
On a Friday afternoon this January, 2nd Sgt Ridhuan was about to finish his shift at the Woodlands Checkpoint when a red car crashed into a lamp post.
Alerted by the noise, he went to investigate.
DRUG
2nd Sgt Ridhuan saw a man, who looked disoriented, step out of the car and began throwing objects onto the ground, which was later discovered to be drug-related. The man then doused himself in kerosene.
With one hand on a sickle and the other flicking a lighter threateningly, the man posed a danger to those around him.
Within 15 minutes, 2nd Sgt Ridhuan and his men subdued the man.
The officer, who has been with ICA for seven years, said when the incident occurred, his instincts kicked in and he was concerned about the safety of the people and the officers around him.
Mr Shanmugam said: "The projects and operations which are well-executed, the service that is well done, contribute to how Singaporeans look at the Home Team, and they contribute to how Singaporeans feel about their own safety and security."
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