Auxiliary cop arrested at Victoria Street for carrying gun, loaded with 5 bullets, off-duty

A 27-year-old auxiliary police officer was arrested on Thursday (May 9) for failing to return his service revolver, ammunition and baton after his shift. 

The police said in a press release that they were alerted by Certis at about 9.50pm that the officer did not return his firearms after his duty at Changi Airport. 

CCTV footage showed that he changed out of his uniform and left his workplace with a fully-loaded Taurus revolver that contained five bullets. 

He was also carrying a speed revolver loaded with another five bullets, and a baton in a pouch. 

Over 100 deployed to find him

More than 100 police officers from various units were deployed to search for the man, who was eventually found loitering at a mall in Victoria Street past midnight. 

The police said he did not put up a struggle and did not try to reach for the gun when he was arrested. 

All equipment issued to him were successfully recovered. 

He will be charged in court on May 11 for the unlawful carrying of a firearm. 

If found guilty, he could be imprisoned for five to 14 years, and may be liable for at least six strokes of the cane. 

"The man involved in the unlawful carrying of a firearm has demonstrated a blatant disregard for the law and abused the firearms entrusted to him for his duties," said Acting Deputy Commissioner of Police (DC) Zhang Weihan in a statement. 

"The Police will not tolerate such acts that endanger the public’s safety. SPF spares no effort to maintain Singapore’s safety and security no matter the time of the day." 

Zhang also told The Straits Times that the police made a deliberate decision not to inform the public about the incident, as they felt that the officers on the ground had a good chance of apprehending the man. 

"In this particular scenario, if we had gone ahead to warn the public, then what might have happened is it could have triggered a reaction from the person who was carrying the firearm." 

Auxiliary police officer suspended: Certis

In a statement released on Friday, a spokesperson from Certis said that the auxiliary police officer 's failure to return his firearm was detected by their automated arms management system.

"Certis has put in place stringent systems and processes to detect and deal with such incidents in a timely manner, including a warning system that triggers an alert when a firearm is not returned post-duty," they said. 

The spokesperson added that the officer involved has been suspended, and Certis will cooperate with the police in their investigations.

"The safety of the public is our utmost priority. Certis has zero tolerance for misuse of firearms and we expect full compliance from our officers to adhere to our strict protocol on weapons and controlled equipment."

claudiatan@asiaone.com