Question:
Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs for each year in the past five years, of the number of cases of harassment or abuse of public healthcare workers while on duty that were reported to the police, in how many and what percentage of these cases were (i) a stern warning issued (ii) a conviction secured and (iii) a protection order issued, respectively.
Answer:
Mr K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law:
1. Between 2018 and 2022, there were 315 police reports of abuse or harassment of public healthcare workers who were on duty. The breakdown requested by the Member is in the Table below.
2. Table: No. of Police Reports, Warnings and Convictions
| |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
| No. of Police reports |
40 |
47 |
58 |
71 |
99 |
| No. of Warnings Issued for Police Reports Filed in Same Year (% of Police reports) |
16 (40%) |
18 (38%) |
33 (57%) |
23 (32%) |
37 (37%) |
| No. of Convictions Secured for Police Reports filed in Same Year (% of Police reports) |
12 (30%) |
15 (32%) |
12 (21%) |
17 (24%) |
13 (13%) |
3. The Member also requested the number of cases for which Protection Orders were issued. The Ministry of Home Affairs does not have this information, as the Protection Orders are obtained by the victims separately applying to the Protection from Harassment Court, and are not issued by the Police.
