Skip to main content

Advertisement

Advertisement

Statement by DPM Teo on Kovan murders

SINGAPORE - Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Teo Chee Hean has released a statement in connection with the Kovan murders. The statement in full is as follows: Let me first express my condolences to the family of the victims on their loss. This case is especially troubling as the suspect is a police officer. The police informed me of this when they established his identity on Thursday morning. The suspect in this case is a 34 year old Police officer of Senior Staff Sgt rank. He is currently in custody in Malaysia where he was arrested at 11.30pm last night after very close coordination between our two police forces over the past day and half. We first established his identity on Thursday morning after piecing together several pieces of evidence. He had crossed the Causeway into Johor on Wednesday night. We had not earlier released any details for operational reasons as Police assessed that there was no threat to public safety, and revealing his identity was likely to have made his arrest more difficult to achieve. The actions that the suspect has been accused of have tarnished the reputation of the Police. His actions, if proven, have abused the trust placed in him, and betrayed his colleagues in the Police Force who serve faithfully and dutifully. No one is above the law. Anyone who breaks the law, in particular officers placed in positions of trust or authority will have to face the full weight of the law. We have zero tolerance for officers who break the law. I am confident that the investigations will be thorough and that justice will be served. I have asked the Commissioner of Police to tell every officer to continue to perform his duty faithfully and diligently so as to maintain the trust that the public has in the Police Force and our officers. The Criminal Investigation Department has worked hard to crack this case, resulting in the speedy arrest of the suspect. I also thank the Royal Malaysian Police for their assistance rendered in helping us arrest the suspect. This is an excellent example of the close and deeply valued partnership the law enforcement agencies of both countries have built over many decades.

Related topics

Kovan killing

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.