SINGAPORE – The Singapore Armed Forces has lodged a police report against a motorcyclist claiming to be from the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Gendarmerie Command, whose car was recorded on his dashcam during an altercation, with the possibility of impounding it.
The Ministry of Defense (Mindef) made this statement in response to questions from TODAY after dashcam footage was posted on the Facebook page SG Road Vigilante on Monday (April 1).
Police confirmed that a report has been filed and an investigation is underway.
In the one-minute video, the driver can be seen moving to the far right lane of the Inter-Island Expressway (PIE) just before continuous honking is heard.
A motorcyclist, who appears to be wearing a special forces uniform, can be seen passing on the left, merging into the far right lane and stopping in front of the car.
The rider then dismounts and walks toward the driver’s window.
The driver, who was recording the exchange with his dashcam, asked the motorcyclist, “Eh, why are you holding up your middle finger?” (sic) as other drivers could be heard honking. I heard you ask.
The rider then asked if the driver was trying to cause an accident, to which the driver replied that he had signaled beforehand, and asked what he was trying to do.
The rider then swore and claimed to be from “Military Police Command” before asking the driver if he wanted his car impounded.
The driver replied, “I’m not scared,” and asked the motorcyclist to call the police. I hear someone yelling, “Go and call me!” It is unclear who made the statement.
The motorcyclist was then seen walking back to his motorcycle and driving off.
The video then cuts to footage that appears to be from the car’s rear camera before the altercation.
A car can be seen entering the far right lane of the PIE with a motorcycle driving directly behind it.
It is unclear when the incident took place, but a Facebook post by SG Road Vigilante claims it was on the night of March 28.
In response to questions from TODAY, a Mindef spokesperson said on Wednesday: “He (the motorcyclist) is not a regular military member nor is he from the SAF Military Police Command. At the time of the incident, he was not on active duty with the National Guard.”
The Singapore Armed Forces said in a Facebook post on Tuesday that it was aware of the incident and that a preliminary investigation revealed that the motorcyclist was a ready-to-read national military personnel.
It added that the SAF holds its military personnel to “high standards of conduct and discipline” and does not tolerate “such unruly behavior”.
“Impersonating an SAF member is a serious crime and violators will be liable for prosecution,” the military added in the post.
According to Mindef’s website, the SAF Military Police Command maintains and enforces military law, order and discipline in the SAF during peacetime and wartime.
He added that the force will carry out police and security operations as well as ceremonial functions for both Mindef and the province.