Harsher punishment for security officers who sleep on the job
“From Jan 1, officers who display errant behaviour can be punished by a fine not exceeding $2,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months, or both,”
Security officers sleeping on duty is a common problem we faced for many years. Despite warning and punishment meted out to errant officers, this problem is still prevalent. I have personally seen security officers sleeping on duty on many occasions. Some conveniently sleeping on chairs while some come prepared with the sleeping bag, pillow, eye mask etc. Officers caught sleeping on duty may asked for leniency, while some behave indifferently. But what made me mad was once an Executive Director of a Security Agency justified that security officers are also human, so it is only natural they sleep …
I think the Singapore government has taken a bold step to institute such harsh punishment on the errant officers. Hopefully this will address the problem. Either they pull up their socks or they leave their job. I will be keen to hear the feedback from the security officers.
While this “stick” strategy may work to a certain extent, the industry should also explore more creative means to review some of the mundane and monotonous tasks assigned to the security officers. Assigning an officer to a duty post for 12-hour night shift with little or no movement is a sure way to see sleeping officers. Expecting them to stay awake and alert for 12 hours, against their psychological clock is challenging.
How about removing the security officers from the duty post ? We can consider implementing technologies or roving team as an alternate security measure. I think a multi-pronged approach will work better. I am definitely supportive of this harsher punishment.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/harsher-punishment-for-security-officers-who-sleep-on-the-job-or-act-unprofessionally-from
