A year’s jail for ex-cop who was member of 2 secret societies

SINGAPORE — A senior police staff sergeant who led a double life as a secret society member and founder of an affiliated motorcycle gang was sentenced to a year behind bars on Wednesday (June 20).

Umar Hassan, 38, had served 18 years in the police force when he was arrested in November 2016. He pleaded guilty last month to two charges of belonging to an unlawful society, with another two similar charges taken into consideration for sentencing.

Responding to media queries, the police said in a statement that they are commencing disciplinary proceedings against Umar, with a view to dismissing him. He has been interdicted from service since Dec 14 last year.

The police have also reviewed their screening processes to “minimise the possibility of similar cases from falling through the gaps again in the future”. While shortlisted applicants are vetted, they acknowledged that “we may not always detect the adverse background of all the applicants”.

In her sentencing remarks, District Judge Jasvender Kaur noted that “nothing could be better calculated to undermine regard for the integrity of the Singapore Police Force”.

“The suppression of secret societies is a serious matter, and it has been a long-term problem. Such unlawful societies which are prejudicial to public peace and public safety have no place in our society.”

The court heard last month that Umar first formed a motorcycle group with three others in 2001. When they recruited new members, Umar told them not to get into fights or illegal street races.

Sometime in 2007, Umar then rejoined a secret society that he had left in 1999 when he became a police officer. As a senior gang member, he introduced potential new members to the gang’s headman.

In October 2008, Umar approached the assistant headman of the secret society with a proposal to affiliate the motorcycle group with the gang. This would allow the group to gain protection, and the gang could tap on the group’s manpower when needed.

The assistant headman agreed, and Umar was appointed the headman of the motorcycle group.

After that, members of the group began posing for photographs with the hand sign of the ‘18’ group, which the gang was a part of. In addition, they went on outings with the gang members, and incorporated Chinese characters linked to another motorcycle gang — which was affiliated with the secret society — and ‘18’ on their helmets.

Umar’s involvement was discovered when police officers from the Secret Societies Branch received a video clip that had been posted on Facebook.

The video showed a group of men chanting gang slogans during a Malay wedding. The bridegroom was a member of another gang under the ‘18’ group.

Investigations revealed that Umar’s Facebook account, laptop and mobile phones contained several photographs of him posing with the ‘18’ group hand sign. He confessed to taking them to prove he was a member of the gang.

In asking for at least a year’s jail, Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Charleston Teo said that Umar could have misused police systems or shared information that could have helped the gangs avoid detection, evade arrest or obstruct police investigations.

The police noted in their statement: “We thoroughly examined the information which he had access to and whether he had used it in a manner prejudicial to the Singapore Police Force, and law and order. Based on our investigations so far, there is no indication of such abuse.”

DPP Teo said a strong message had to be sent to law enforcement officers who knowingly break the law.

“For about eight years, the accused has been a member of two secret societies in a senior position despite his function as a police officer to maintain law and order and to preserve public peace,” he added.

For being a member of a secret society, Umar could have been jailed up to three years, fined up to S$5,000, or both.