Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Training of Police Officers to Interact With Victims of Sexual Misconduct

Question:

Mr Seah Kian Peng: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what training do police officers go through to ensure that they are trained to interact with victims of sexual misconduct; (b) whether there have been any official complaints lodged against them on their interaction with victims of sexual misconduct; (c) if so, what has been the outcome of these complaints; and (d) whether there is any data on the number of such complaints against police officers in other countries and how is the performance of our police officers when compared against such data.

Answer:

Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:

1.   Investigation Officers (IOs) assigned to handle sexual crime cases are trained on victim management skills to minimise re-traumatising victims during interviews. In addition, all Police officers undergo regular training on how to manage victims with sensitivity.

2.   Whenever a complaint is made against the Singapore Police Force (SPF), it will be investigated. So far, the majority of complaints have been found to be not substantiated. Where the complaints have been substantiated, SPF has taken action against the errant officer(s). SPF will also learn from these incidents and take steps to improve on processes and systems to minimise similar incidents from recurring.

3.   MHA does not keep track of the data on the number of complaints against Police officers on their interaction with victims of sexual misconduct in other countries.