Singapore’s police force last night rebutted accusations that it treated a pregnant officer unfairly.
The Singapore Police Force, or SPF, said it did not discriminate against Reema Razif, a former officer whose complaints went viral this week, and in fact accommodated her multiple pregnancies throughout her service of over a decade.
“The SPF does not penalise officers who are pregnant and instead, provides alternative work arrangements to ensure their well-being,” its statement said.
“The SPF builds fair and progressive workplaces for our employees. Many of our female officers excel in their career, balancing work and family responsibilities,” it added.
Reema on Tuesday lamented that she did not feel recognized for her hard work since she joined SPF as a corporal in 2011. She claimed that her performance grades were affected because she was pregnant and encouraged to continue working while on maternity leave.
“Being told that my performance grade dropped ‘cos you were pregnant’ and being advised to ‘take up some projects during your maternity leave’ was not something I could resonate with,” she wrote.
She said she had put work as her priority during her pregnancies and even lifted heavy equipment and skipped meals. She also went into labor at work for two out of four of her pregnancies. But that wasn’t enough to be seen as a “performing worker,” she said.
Reema has not immediately responded to Coconuts’ queries.
But SPF refuted this, clarifying that Reema was given “light duty assignments” during her four pregnancies between 2016 and last year and did not force her to work while she was on maternity leave.
It said that her performance was graded similarly to her colleagues and takes workplace discrimination “seriously.”
The police also took the opportunity to bring up her track record which involved a social media post in 2020 that went against their rules of posting agency-related issues without approval. She was not penalized.
According to the police, she resigned due to “personal reasons” on May 2.
In Reema’s lengthy post, she also complained about not getting a farewell card or a send-off party.
“Not getting a farewell card on my last day did hit me, not gonna lie. Those who’ve received full-on dinners, gifts, momentos and tokens for their contributions, you have my envy. It’s not about getting anything, it’s the realization that you’re dispensable,” she wrote.
Still, the police thanked and wished her all the best.
“We thank Reema for her contributions to the SPF and we wish her all the best in her future endeavours,” it wrote.
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