Written Reply to Parliamentary Question on Whether Interviews of All Cases Eligible for Video Recording of Interviews Are Video Recorded

Question:

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) of the categories of offences that video recording of interviews (VRI) have been expanded to, whether interviews of all cases falling in those categories are currently video recorded; (b) if not, what is the number and percentage of cases that are eligible for VRI are currently video recorded; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider extending VRI for all vulnerable suspects including juveniles, the elderly, the cognitively impaired, or the psychologically disordered, regardless of the alleged offence.

Answer:

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

1.   Since the introduction of video recording of interviews (VRI) in 2018 for rape cases, the categories of offences for which it is conducted has since been expanded to include aggravated outrage of modesty, sexual assault by penetration, child abuse, maid abuse, and non-capital drug-related offences.

2.   In addition, we conduct VRI for all cases at Police Land Divisions involving offenders with mental disabilities and young suspects, where no Appropriate Adult is available, regardless of the alleged offence.

3.   While VRI would generally be conducted for interviews of suspects or offenders for these expanded categories of offences, there could be instances where a VRI was not conducted due to operational exigencies. For example, there may be a need to record a contemporaneous statement from an accused person at the scene of the crime, when the person is arrested at the scene.

4.   We do not track data on the instances where VRI was or was not conducted.