PUBLISHED ONOctober 30, 2025 2:32 AMBYSean LerTwo persons aged 32 and 57, will be charged in court on Thursday (Oct 30) for carrying out a security assignment against a police officer without prior approval.
Police said in a statement on Oct 30 that the duo were partners of a licensed private investigation agency.
The 57-year-old man and 32-year-old woman had accepted a security surveillance assignment from a male client against the police officer.
According to the police, the officer was investigating a 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," police said, adding that the two did not obtain the necessary approval.
The male officer made a police report on Jan 10, 2022, after detecting the surveillance against him a day earlier.
The identities of the duo, and two other private investigators, were established with the aid of police cameras and other closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.
To cover up evidence of their wrongdoing, police said the 32-year-old woman was also found to have deleted certain WhatsApp messages with the male client from her phone, thereby obstructing justice.
She allegedly did so after seeking approval from the 57-year-old man, who will also be charged with abetting the obstruction of justice.
"This is the first time that the police are aware of, where a private investigation agency has been engaged to conduct surveillance on a police officer for investigating into a police case," police said.
Investigations against the male client are ongoing.
If found guilty of carrying out a security assignment without prior approval, the duo may be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $50,000, or both.
The offence of obstructing, preventing, perverting or defeating justice, carries a maximum jail term of seven years, a fine, or both.
In August 2025, property tycoon Ong Beng Seng was fined the maximum stipulated sum of $30,000 for abetting the obstruction of justice in the case involving former transport minister S. Iswaran.
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