Originally posted by BillyBong:
Another letter from a fellow doctor incensed by the
'hopeless' police:
When does an assault
become a criminal case?
Aug 17, 2006
The Straits Times
I REFER to the letter, 'Assault 'a
civil case', so no police action' (ST, Aug 
, by Ms Liew Sok Kuan.
Singapore reputedly possesses an excellent legal system and public
security. I am therefore astounded as to why the police would label
the assault on the doctor at a food stall as merely a civil case,
and not criminal activity.
If, indeed, a group of hooligans can approach any peace-loving
citizen in a food centre and give that person a beating without
infringing any criminal law, I would fear for the safety of my
family and friends.
As the incident was earlier classified as a civil case, the victim
would theoretically be required to garner evidence if he wanted to
pursue the issue in court. On top of that, he must be able to cough
up $10,000 to $20,000 to file a civil suit against the
perpetrators. Therefore, if the victim is unable to gather the
required witnesses, or to pay for the civil suit, the perpetrators
would go scot-free.
Although the case was subsequently reclassified under Section 325
from Section 323, I agree with Ms Liew's observation that 'the
attitude of the police, as demonstrated in this case, will only
serve to embolden hooligans to commit even more such offences'.
Hypothetically speaking, a person can beat up anyone in the street,
and the police cannot carry out any arrest, investigation or
prosecution because it is only a civil case.
This begs the question: Should law-abiding citizens call the police
if they witness such cases of assault? Or should they fold their
arms, and let the victim settle the dispute in the Magistrates'
Court?
Furthermore, an assault is presumably not criminal unless there is
outrage of modesty, rape or grievous injury, or death - in which
case it would be manslaughter or murder.
Should we, then, avoid calling the police until the incident
evolves into a more serious scenario, that is, until the
perpetrator sexually abuses, maims or kills the victim?
The police should clarify what constitutes criminal assault and
what constitutes a civil offence. In this way, victims in a similar
case would know what is the best course of action to take.
Dr Vincent Chia Wei Meng
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[b]POLICE'S HANDS TIED
A person can beat up anyone but, because it is a civil case, the
police cannot carry out any arrest, probe or
prosecution
The above statement is plain stupid. Who invented this ridiculous
law?
So the police have also outsourced local beat-ups and will just
stand and watch victims get hammered before they pass the injured
victim a referral form?
What a joke.[/b]
This is the purest form of NONSENSE I have ever come
across!
Hey everyone, this means I can come with my friends and beat you up
and you can't do anything about it!
Whos' friggin brain-dead policy is this? What kind of brain-dead
red-tape is this???
