It took a couple of days, but at least the police have nabbed the teens suspected of preying on younger kids by forcing them to ‘donate’ their money. Kinda like extortion, we suppose.
Said younger kids would be intimidated because the teens would claim that they were police officers.
But their illicit tactics came to an end on Sunday after the real cops managed to establish their identities and arrested two men, aged 17 and 18. The police first received a report on Apr 6 regarding a group of young men impersonating cops and “engaging in aggressive tactics to seek donations in public” — of which was captured on camera.
“The Police would like to remind the public to be vigilant and wary of persons who may impersonate as Police Officers to facilitate the commission of their criminal acts”, the Singapore Police Force wrote in a statement.
“If in doubt, they should request for the Police Officer’s Warrant Card to verify his identity before complying with the instructions of the officer.”
Should they be convicted for impersonating a public servant, the teens could face up to two years in prison and a fine as well. The licensee is also said to be under investigation for possible breach of regulations under the House to House and Street Collections Act.
We doubt this would be the last of aggro individuals soliciting ‘donations’ from the public though — it’s a common enough issue for dozens of folks to complain about their presence across the island.
