On June 14, my family’s flat was vandalised by loan sharks. Green paint was splashed all over our front door. The loan shark’s mobile number was written all along the walls on our floor.

We called the number, only to be told to pay up. My family tried to explain that we are not the debtors. Our flat was brand new - direct from the Housing and Development Board (HDB) when we bought it - and has had no previous occupants. Neither have we ever sublet it out.

When we called the number loan a second time to clarify the matter, the loan shark gave us the debtor’s full name and identity card (IC) number, insisting that the person lived at our flat, and demanded that we contact the debtor to account for the $2,000 debt.

Which begs the question - how was this person able to register an address (in this case, my family’s) on her IC without proof of residency?

The police was swift to record our statements, but the follow up has been less than satisfactory.

When we wanted to bring a case against the debtor for falsifying the address on her IC, the officer at the Neighbourhood Police Post that we went to said we had to lodge a magistrate's complaint - and the only way way we could do this is to contact the Investigating Officer (IO) at the Criminal Investigation Department. Despite numerous attempts to contact the IO, we never managed to get hold of him.

When we wanted permission to install a closed circuit television outside the front door to prevent similar attacks from occurring, the officer in charge of such matters at the HBD was on leave. Shouldn't another officer have been assigned to cover his position then?

I know that precious resources have to be expended to cover the cost of policing such criminal activity, but when the security and dignity of loved ones are at stake, it's appalling to discover that justice and protection from violence is too slow in coming.

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