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Circular No.: C&P/123/08/tl
Subject: Criime Alert: Serious Hurt Cases involving Foreigners at Construction Sites
Date: 22 Dec 2008
Officer-in-Charge: Lim Tian Lee
The Singapore Police Force would like to alert members of an increase in the number of serious hurt cases involving foreigners at construction sites. Between January and November 2008, 16 cases of serious hurt were reported, compared to 10 cases reported for the same period in 2007. Generally, about 90% of cases of serious hurt had arisen from dispute-related motives, such as work-related or personal disputes.
Culprits would predominantly assault victims of their own nationality, usually in the day between 7am and 7pm by using items such as metal poles and hammers. Nationalities of workers involved include PRC Nationals, Bangladeshis and Indian Nationals.
It is imperative that construction companies remain vigilant and try to mediate disputes between workers before the issues escalate and the workers turned to violence to resolve their differences. The Singapore Police Force would like to advise members to adopt the following measures:
a. Consider putting in place an in-house non-violence policy at the worksite(s) on a non-violence approach to resolve disputes amicably and peacefully. Anyone breaching it will be dealt with accordingly by the management and the authorities, with a possibility of being deported;
b. Appoint supervisors/group leaders among workers of different nationalities. These supervisors can act as mediators and help the management to mitigate disputes between workers; and
c. Provide adequate training or dialogue sessions to instill awareness and build trust amongst workers. These measures would help workers maintain harmony at the worksite.
d. The worksite management may also work with the nearest Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) to initiate Community Safety and Security Programmes to educate foreign workers on local laws and crime prevention.
If you have any information relating to the above cases, please do not hesitate to contact the Singapore Police Force at 1800-255 0000 or dial “999” if urgent police assistance is required.
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