4th incident – SMRT vows to step up security measures
Two Germans have been arrested yesterday (21 Nov) for vandalising an SMRT train in Bishan Depot on 8 Nov.
They were nabbed with the help of Malaysian police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday (20 Nov) and extradited to Singapore yesterday. They were about to board a plane to Australia.
The police are still investigating how the two men, first-time visitors to Singapore, allegedly gained access to Bishan Depot to spray graffiti on a train. The 2 flew off on the same day SMRT discovered the graffiti.
There was speculation that it had been an inside job then after SMRT said no intrusion was detected, but the latest revelation raises fresh questions about security at SMRT’s train depots.
This is the fourth vandalism incident involving SMRT in 4 years.
The first case of vandalism occurred in May 2010 when two men cut through the fence and spray-painted graffiti on a train at SMRT’s Changi depot. One of the vandals was a Swiss foreign talent Oliver Fricker. He was jailed for 7 months and given 3 strokes of the cane, while his accomplice, Briton Lloyd Dane Alexander, remains at large.
Fricker came to Singapore to work as a software consultant at Zurich-based financial software maker Comit AG in 2008. At the time the incident happened, Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said, “We had graffiti experts from England and Switzerland who came here to show that they can break our laws. Well, we caught one of them and he has to pay the penalty. It’s harsh, but that is the way to keep it.”
In fact, in the first incident, the train was already in service for 2 days before someone raised the alarm. The SMRT staff had thought that the graffiti was some sort of an advertisement.
The second incident took place in August 2011 when a hole was cut in the fence at Bishan depot, and the words “Jet Setter’s” were spray-painted on a train. No one has been caught yet.
The third incident took place on 5 May this year, again at Bishan depot but no one has been caught also.
An SMRT spokesman vowed yesterday to strengthen all its security measures, “We are mindful of public concern… We have in place a set of measures such as interior and exterior checks of trains to detect any suspicious object or activity.”
“SMRT is working with the relevant agencies to strengthen all security measures in place,” he added.
Apparently, SMRT has been increasing its patrols, switching its security contractors and putting in intrusion detection systems. Still, it can’t prevent the 4th incident of vandalism from happening.
Meanwhile, the 2 Germans were charged in court today (22 Nov).
Andreas Von Knorre and Elton Hinz, both aged 21, face two charges each for entering the depot without authorisation, and committing the act of vandalism. If found guilty of vandalism, Knorre and Hinz could be jailed for up to three years, or fined up to $2,000. They may also face between three and eight strokes of the cane. For trespassing, they could be fined $1,000 or face a jail term of up to two years or both, if found guilty.
They will next appear at the State Court on Nov 28 at 10am, at court 26.
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http://www.tremeritus.com/2014/11/22/4th-incident-smrt-vows-to-step-up-security-measures/