It looks like the Singapore Police Force has landed itself a poster boy — and we likey.
The latest officer to be profiled in the agency’s #SPFPride social media campaign is Roland Teo, a clean-cut, baby-faced staff sergeant who just happens to be a hero.
Teo was off duty when he saved the life of a six-year-old boy a few months ago. He was at home on Sep 4 when his daughter alerted him of the boy who was clinging onto the balcony ledge of a 30th floor unit.
The 39-year-old Bukit Timah Neighbourhood Police Centre officer made a mad dash to the unit but the door to the flat was closed. A neighbour who was there ahead of him had already called the police, but Teo knew there was no time to lose and decided on doing something heroic — he will save the boy himself.
He removed his shoes, climbed onto the sloping parapet, stepped over a metre-wide gap, supported himself on a narrow ledge. “Making sure he had a firm footing, SSSGT Teo hoisted the child up and quickly carried him over the parapet to safety. Though traumatised, the child was unhurt throughout the incident,” SPF narrates on its Facebook post.
“It was definitely a risk but I was confident I could save him,” said Teo. “I had to do it because I could. A child was in danger and I imagined how his parents would feel. As a police officer, I also felt that it was my duty to save him.”
