Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Rooftop graffiti: Mystery deepens after probe finds no security breach

SINGAPORE — The mystery surrounding the graffiti found on Wednesday along the rooftop of a 22-storey Housing and Development Board (HDB) block deepened yesterday, after coordinating chairman for the People’s Action Party (PAP) Town Councils Teo Ho Pin said investigations by the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council indicated there was no breach of security measures.

The graffiti along the rooftop of Toa Payoh Block 85A. Under the current security procedure, authorised personnel have to sign for the key that gives access 
to the rooftop. TODAY FILE PHOTO

The graffiti along the rooftop of Toa Payoh Block 85A. Under the current security procedure, authorised personnel have to sign for the key that gives access
to the rooftop. TODAY FILE PHOTO

Follow TODAY on WhatsApp

SINGAPORE — The mystery surrounding the graffiti found on Wednesday along the rooftop of a 22-storey Housing and Development Board (HDB) block deepened yesterday, after coordinating chairman for the People’s Action Party (PAP) Town Councils Teo Ho Pin said investigations by the Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council indicated there was no breach of security measures.

Profanities against the PAP and the police, as well as the symbol for anarchy, were found spray-painted in bright red along the rooftop of Block 85A at Toa Payoh Lorong 4. The lock to the roof access was intact.

No arrests have been announced so far and the police said they are investigating the case. Still, the incident has raised questions about how someone could have entered the area when access to HDB rooftops was supposed to have been tightened after a woman’s body was found in a rooftop water tank in 2011.

Responding to media queries, Dr Teo said that over the past three years, the 15 PAP town councils have implemented various security and safety measures to restrict access to rooftops to authorised personnel only.

“We have also installed enhanced locks for our access doors to the roofs, and brackets with bolts and nuts to secure our rooftop water tank covers,” he said.

He reiterated that the town councils “take a serious view of vandalism, especially for cases which may affect the safety and security of our residents”.

“We will work closely with the police to minimise such vandalism acts,” he added.

The Bishan-Toa Payoh Town Council reiterated that it is cooperating closely with the authorities and that it cannot comment on the evidence collected by the police.

Under the current security procedure, authorised personnel have to sign for the key that gives access to the rooftop and be accompanied by an auxiliary police officer.

On whether there is a need to review the security procedure, Dr Teo said the town councils will look at the incident and see if there are “certain limitations in the system”.

“We will review and enhance it, but if it’s not due to that and it’s due to other factors, we will see how we can address (these) … it’s always important to ensure safety and security are protected in all our HDB estates,” he said.

Dr Teo added that the town councils welcome the police’s plan to install closed-circuit television cameras at the ground floor lift lobbies and staircase landings of HDB blocks.

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.