Policemen in Little India riot COI say ‘not trained for full-scale riot’

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/policemen-little-india-riot-coi-say-not-trained-full-scale-riot

ASP Yong Wen Wei Edwin from Tanglin Police Division

Three police officers who were among the first responders at the scene of the Little India riot told the Committee Of Inquiry (COI) today (Feb 26) that they were not trained for a full-scale riot.

The three officers — Special Constable Sergeant Abdul Aziz, Assistant Superintendent of Police Edwin Yong and Special Constable Corporal Arshard Abdul Murad — said they had only been prepared for “peace time” crowd control.

The three officers police officers were testifying on Day Six of the COI hearing into the Dec 8 riot.

Special Constable Sergeant Abdul Aziz said that warning shots were not fired because doing so could have riled up the already aggressive crowd.

The T-batons, revolvers and shields carried by police officers on patrol are meant for defensive use, and this is why they were not used to tackle the rioters, he explained.

Special Constable Corporal Arshard said a foreign worker had challenged him to “take out my T-baton to hit the people in the crowd”, but he did not do so.

ASP Yong added that communications could have been better as the crowd may not have understood what the officers were trying to say when they were asked to move back.

Responding to allegations from the public of cowardice after video footage showed officers running away from the main location of the riot, ASP Yong said it had been a “tactical retreat” to regroup.