Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on the Enforcement of COVID-19 Measures on People with Special Needs, by Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law

Question:

Mr Saktiandi Supaat: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in light of some children with special needs finding it stressful to abide by COVID-19 regulations, such as mandatory mask wearing (a) what kind of training do police officers receive to equip them to deal with such individuals if they fail to abide by the law; and (b) how can the Police exhibit more empathy towards these individuals, while ensuring that rules are complied with to everyone's interest.

Answer:

1. 1. Mask wearing is enforced to protect public health. However, Police officers do exercise flexibility when dealing with vulnerable persons, such as children and persons with special needs.2. The officers adopt an advisory approach when engaging such persons and the caregivers, and advise the wearing of face shields if the person has difficulties wearing face masks. They use simple and clear language.3. Police officers are equipped with these skills to engage vulnerable persons, as part of their training on general policing.