SINGAPORE - Four men and one woman, aged between 33 and 58, will be charged in court on Friday (Aug 13) with abusing public servants in five separate incidents between January and June this year.
Among them, one man slapped an enforcement officer and used abusive language on him, while another pulled down his pants and urinated in public after being approached by safe distancing ambassadors.
Among the five, two will also be charged with breaching Covid-19 measures, said the police in a statement on Thursday.
In the first case, a 40-year-old man was spotted by a National Environment Agency (NEA) enforcement officer smoking at the void deck of Block 107 Bedok North Road on Jan 25.
The man is said to have turned aggressive and allegedly slapped the enforcement officer's face while threatening him. The man is also accused of not wearing his mask when speaking to the officer.
He will be charged with using criminal force to deter a public servant from doing his duty, using threatening words, and breaching Covid-19 measures.
In another incident, a 46-year-old man who was allegedly not wearing a mask at Pasir Panjang Wholesale Centre on March 19 was approached by a group of Certis officers and safe distancing ambassadors.
He allegedly hurled vulgarities and pointed his middle finger multiple times at the group of enforcement officers.
The police said he was subsequently arrested at the scene when, in a drunken state, he pulled down his pants, exposed himself and urinated in public.
The man will be charged with using abusive words, indecent behaviour, and causing annoyance while drunk.
The same month, a woman was smoking at the void deck of Block 137 Bedok Reservoir Road, when she was spotted by an NEA enforcement officer.
The woman's 58-year-old mother interfered and allegedly made abusive remarks towards him. The older woman will be charged with using abusive words towards a public servant.
On Jan 24, a stall operator at Block 341 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 was spotted not wearing a mask by a safe distancing ambassador. The ambassador asked a town council staff to tell the 39-year-old man to put on his mask.
After doing so, the stall operator allegedly scolded the ambassador using vulgarities.
This was not his first offence. Last year, he had also verbally abused a Certis officer who was enforcing safe distancing measures, and was given a 12-month conditional warning last August.
The man will also be charged with breaching the conditional warning.
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On June 24, a Certis officer who had placed a summons ticket on a motorcycle that was illegally parked on a pavement near Kempas Road, in Bendemeer, was confronted by its owner.
The 33-year-old motorcyclist allegedly threatened and hurled vulgarities at the officer. He will be charged with using abusive and threatening words on a public servant.
Those who use criminal force to deter a public servant from doing his duty can be punished with a jail term of up to four years, a fine, or both.
The police reminded the public to take safe distancing measures seriously.
They added: "The police take a stern view of abusive behaviour against public servants or public service workers who are carrying out their public duties, and irresponsible behaviour relating to the flouting of safe distancing measures."
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