A Brush with the Singapore Police Force

S T A T E M E N T (sorta, okay not really)

I, commonly known as Shi Pei to my family and friends, was on the way to Marina Barrage with a friend on 9th Aug 2017. After getting food from Raffles City, we took a Grabcar and alighted outside the drop-off point/car park at about 4.45pm. On the way to the entrance of the Barrage, we were stopped by 2 uniformed police officers. They pointed at the drone I was carrying (I think they were pretty shocked to see me prancing around with it as apparently it was broadcasted that drones were not allowed that day) and told me I was not allowed to bring the drone into the Barrage. I was advised to keep it in my bag while they report this incident to the command center/control unit (I can’t remember what it was called by it was clear that the entity was to be aware of my case and what was going to happen next was very much dependent on their decision).

I started to disassemble my drone and seeing how this situation could take some time to resolve itself, my friend decided to head up to secure a space for us first. I handed her a bag of food that I was carrying and continued to disassemble my drone.

Soon after, more police officers came and from them, I found out that a man had JUST been arrested before me for flying his drone. 1 of the officer then asked for my particulars and it was then that I realised my wallet containing my identification card was in the bag of food that my friend brought up. So was my phone. And I don’t remember her phone number. We tried to call my phone and she didn’t picked up, which was no surprise because my phone was on silent and non-vibration mode. (You see how, if not for my rather innocent looks, this situation would have been extremely suspicious; I could really be up to something.) I offered to head up to get my valuables and with some considerations, 1 of the officers instructed 2 other officers to follow me up while they remain at the scene with my drone and bag.

We successfully found my friend and retrieved my valuables (not without attracting the attention of more than a few onlookers) and I was greeted with news that I was required to speak to several other officers when I got back to the scene. I was then led away (no handcuffs, no firm hands on my shoulders or hooked around my arm, just me surrounded by at least 4 officers).

Q1 Did you know you were not supposed to bring your drone?

A1 I don’t know.

Q2 Why did you bring your drone?

A2 I tried to fly it in my house yesterday but found the space to be too small, so I decided to bring it to the Barrage to fly today. (The second half of the statement was struck off because it made it sound like the purpose of coming to the Barrage was to fly the drone, which I thought could be a cause against me, and not watch the fireworks with my friend.)

Q3 Where did you get you drone?

A3 I won it at a lucky draw.

Q4 Do you have anything else to add?

A4 No.

SIGNATURE

The whole time when this was unfolding, I tried my very best to hide my amusement because I can imagine what the authorities would think if I were to smile, like that annoying kid who caused so much trouble and still has the cheek to smile. But honestly, even though I am apologetic about the nuisance I was, I was also glad for this unexpected turn of events because it let me see the workings of a part of the world that I previously had no idea about.

A Statement is written by a Recording Officer and not the Suspect even though the Statement is in first person perspective. The Suspect has to sign at every edit as a prove of the legitimacy of the content (which provided some sort of relief as it dispensed my crazy thought of possible conspiracies slightly). Undercover police do exists and they really look like you and me (because to a certain extent they are but you get me). Explosive threats are real. The police are exceedingly polite and considerate people. They are people.

When I was sharing this story to my family and some of my friends, the common question that came up was, was I afraid? I wasn’t, but I was indeed slightly worried of the possibilities of misunderstandings. I wasn’t afraid because I truly did not have any bad intentions. I wasn’t afraid because the officers seemed to believe that I did not have any bad intentions. I wasn’t afraid because I knew we had to go through all those proceedings to play it safe and be very very sure that I really did not have any bad intentions. I wasn’t afraid because I trusted the police.

And this really something to be thankful for. Thank you for taking security so seriously. Thank you for all the effort to keep us safe. Thank you for being an entity that people trust, and can entrust our freedom with.

With that, I know my mistake. Can I please have my drone back soon? :(