'The police will learn from this': Goh Pei Ming says 'serious breach' led to tragic Megan case, vows to reinforce training and procedures

In the Megan Khung case, the lapse occurred because two officers under pressure did not follow operating procedures, said Minister of State for Home Affairs Goh Pei Ming in Parliament on Wednesday (Nov 5).

"The Investigation Officer (IO) who dealt with the first police report, and her supervisor, failed to follow police's procedures to escalate the case to the regular case review sessions for monitoring and guidance," said Goh.

"The IO had assessed this as a case of child discipline with low safety concerns based on the information that she was presented with at that time."

Goh noted that the officers, who were under pressure at that time, committed a serious breach that led to a tragic outcome. 

"It was a serious breach, and it resulted in a tragic outcome. The police will learn from this, and reinforce procedures and training for its officers," he added.

Goh further explained that the demands on police officers continue to rise, requiring them to make difficult daily judgment calls, and that mistakes can occur when they are under pressure.

Procedures and technology to improve child-related cases

Responding to questions from Members of Parliament on follow-up measures, procedures, and the handling of child-related cases by trained officers, Goh shared that the police have established procedures to guide follow-up actions when dealing with missing persons.

Priority is given to missing vulnerable persons, such as young children, regardless of how long they have been missing, said Goh. 

"The police do not track the duration taken to close a case, as there are many factors that can affect the length of an investigation," added Goh.  

"These factors include the wide range of offences with varying complexities and the need to coordinate with different partners as part of the investigation process."

He pointed out that there are internal controls in place to ensure cases are followed up promptly. 

These include a daily case review process for supervisors to provide guidance, multiple levels of supervision, and regular checks throughout investigations.

Goh highlighted that in 2022, the police introduced a Family Violence Training Package to equip officers to handle family violence and child abuse incidents sensitively and escalate high-risk cases to the Ministry of Social and Family Development.

Additionally, in 2023, Family Violence Teams were established at all Land Divisions, supported by specialised training and inter-agency coordination.

"To strengthen IOs' efficiency and supervisory capabilities, the police have also harnessed technology for the review of cases," said Goh. 

"They have implemented technological solutions to trigger automatic notifications to IOs and their supervisors to complete time-sensitive tasks promptly."

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xingying.koh@asiaone.com