Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

MFA trespass: Officers at Woodlands Checkpoint ‘did not immediately raise alarm’

SINGAPORE — A 27-year-old Malaysian woman was yesterday (Jan 20) arrested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for criminal trespass.

Photo: Reuters

Photo: Reuters

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — A 27-year-old Malaysian woman was yesterday (Jan 20) arrested at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) for criminal trespass.

Preliminary investigations showed that the woman, who has a history of mental illness, had entered Singapore in a Malaysian-registered car last Friday (Jan 17), via the Woodlands Checkpoint at about 1.58pm and left the checkpoint at about 2pm.

“The subject had managed to leave the Checkpoint without being stopped, as the officers-in-charge did not immediately raise the alarm. By the time the alarm was raised two minutes later, efforts to locate the car in Woodlands Checkpoint were unsuccessful despite an immediate lock down of the arrival car zone,” said the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) and Police in a joint statement today.

The woman driver is currently under Police custody and investigations are on-going. She is also being investigated for immigration evasion.

With the assistance of the Malaysian High Commission and the Royal Malaysia Police, Singapore authorities have contacted her next-of-kin, who are on their way down to Singapore to assist in investigations.

Deputy Comissioner of ICA Aw Kum Cheong said: “This is a very serious lapse in our border security and we are disappointed by this incident.”

He pledged that the authorities would conduct a “thorough investigation to prevent a similar occurrence”.

“Even though there is no immediate threat to public safety, ICA and Police take this case very seriously as it concerns the security of our borders,” said the joint statement.

The ICA and Police said they would review the incident and take the “necessary steps to prevent a recurrence”. In particular, they would review security systems and work processes at the Checkpoints.

“The incident serves as a reminder that security is a dynamic process and we must constantly review and ensure that we are prepared for contingencies,” said the ICA and Police.

Read more of the latest in

Advertisement

Advertisement

Stay in the know. Anytime. Anywhere.

Subscribe to get daily news updates, insights and must reads delivered straight to your inbox.

By clicking subscribe, I agree for my personal data to be used to send me TODAY newsletters, promotional offers and for research and analysis.