Remember the case of the 38-year-old NSman who took the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) for someone else and ended up sentenced to two months’ jail? That happened in 2014, but the case came to light recently — he was allegedly approached by another NSman who came up with the whole cheating system for monetary gain. A total of 58 SAF NSmen, six SCDF NSmen and five SPF NSmen received disciplinary actions.
Because of this, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said that verification measures at the camp gate and at IPPT registration counters and stations have been kicked up several notches. So by 2018, all personnel taking IPPT will have to undergo biometric fingerprinting to enter the Singapore Armed Forces camps. No more simply handing over identity cards for facial checks, as this is subject to human error.
This biometric fingerprinting system has been progressively introduced to SAF camps since last year.
“Every serviceman is expected to uphold a high standard of integrity and those caught cheating in the IPPT are punished,” said Ng. “Officers and warrant officers caught cheating are no longer fit to command and can have their ranks removed.”
