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The Police will be charging a 57-year-old man and a 32-year-old woman for their suspected involvement in providing private investigation services without approval.

On 10 January 2022, the Police received a report regarding unauthorised surveillance of a Police officer. Police investigations found that both the 57-year-old man and 32-year-old woman were partners of a licensed Private Investigation Agency (PIA) that had accepted a security surveillance assignment from a male client to conduct surveillance on the Police officer, who was investigating into a Police case against the male client’s family member. As the officer was working at the Police Cantonment Complex, a Protected Place under the Infrastructure Protection Act 2017, prior approval from the Police Regulatory Department is required under the Private Security Industry Act 2007. However, the 57-year-old man and 32-year-old woman had accepted and carried out the assignment without obtaining the necessary approval. 

This is the first time that the Police are aware of, where a PIA has been engaged to conduct surveillance on a Police officer for investigating into a Police case.

Four private investigators were assigned by the PIA to work on the surveillance, which included trailing the Police officer at his residence and workplace. 

On 10 January 2022, the Police officer made a police report after detecting the surveillance a day earlier. With the aid of images from Police cameras and other CCTV cameras, officers from the Clementi Police Division established the identities of the 57-year-old man, 32-year-old woman and the other private investigators. During Police investigations, the 32-year-old woman deleted certain WhatsApp communications with the male client from her mobile phone, after seeking approval to do so from the 57-year-old man, in order to delete evidence of wrong-doing.

The 57-year-old man and 32-year-old woman will be charged in Court on 30 October 2025 for the offence of carrying out a security assignment without prior approval under Section 11(4) read with Section 32(3)(a) of the Private Security Industry Act 2007. The offence carries a fine not exceeding $50,000, or imprisonment for up to two years, or both.

In addition, the 32-year-old woman will be charged for allegedly obstructing the course of justice under Section 204A of the Penal Code 1871 for deleting relevant evidence from her mobile phone during Police investigations. The 57-year-old man will be charged for allegedly abetting the 32-year-old woman to delete the evidence.  The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years, or a fine, or both.

Police investigations against the male client are ongoing.