2 Germans charged with vandalism
By Samantha Boh, The Sunday Times, 23 Nov 2014
By Samantha Boh, The Sunday Times, 23 Nov 2014
Both tried to ignore a phalanx of photographers- Hinz kept his eyes down while Von Knorre looked straight ahead.
In court, the charges of vandalism and trespass were read to them separately in German through a translator.
Von Knorre, dressed in a red T-shirt and black shorts, seemed distracted, peering to his right a couple of times. Hinz, who was charged after him, was in a printed T-shirt and jeans, and was seen nodding as he listened.
If found guilty, both face the possibility of going to jail or being fined, but vandalism carries mandatory caning of three to eight strokes.
The two men will be remanded at Tanglin Police Division for a week.
The incident at the Bishan Depot on Nov 8 was the fourth case of vandalism at SMRT's depots since 2010, and the second this year.
In the early hours of Nov 8, a train was discovered spray-painted in various colours.
The two suspects are believed to have left Singapore for an unspecified destination the same day. They were later located in Bangkok by the Thai police and subsequently arrested at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport last Thursday by the Malaysian authorities. They were extradited to Singapore on Friday.
Three spray-paint can nozzles were found on the men who are believed to be working in Australia. Twelve spray paint cans and a single yellow glove were found near the vandalism scene.The men's cellphones, laptops and cameras have been seized for investigations.
They will next appear at the State Court on Friday.
Forensics, close collaboration with foreign agencies helped in nabbing suspects
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
Police officers also seized their mobile phones, laptops and cameras for investigation purposes, after nabbing them at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Thursday evening.
Meanwhile, twelve spray- paint cans and a single yellow glove were found in the vicinity of SMRT's Bishan Depot.
Senior Assistant Commissioner for Police Tan Chye Hee, the Criminal Investigation Department director, revealed these details at a briefing yesterday.
The German duo, both 21, were caught two weeks after they fled Singapore on Nov 8.
SAC Tan said the case was not an easy one to crack. Officers had "worked tirelessly around the clock to pursue all available leads", he said.
SAC Tan said the case was not an easy one to crack. Officers had "worked tirelessly around the clock to pursue all available leads", he said.
"It was really a combination of investigation skills, intelligence, forensics and close collaboration with our foreign law enforcement counterparts," SAC Tan said.
Forensic investigations included the matching of fingerprints and DNA, as well as the paint found in the cans with that on the train to establish the link to the scene.
The duo's exact travel patterns are still unknown - police could not confirm which countries they had visited in the two-week period.
Asked if the men were caught for spraying graffiti elsewhere, SAC Tan said that the police would look into this area.
"The suspects had displayed a blatant disregard of the law in Singapore. Police do not tolerate such brazen criminal acts," he added.
The men were extradited to Singapore yesterday morning. They are expected to be charged today with vandalism and with trespassing into a protected place.
If convicted of vandalism, the men face up to three years' jail or a fine of up to $2,000, and between three and eight strokes of the cane.
If convicted of trespassing into a protected area, they face two years in jail or a fine of $1,000, or both.
Depot breach: SMRT vows to strengthen security measures
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
By Amir Hussain, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
TRANSPORT operator SMRT yesterday vowed to strengthen all its security measures, even as it assists the police with investigations into the latest trespassing incident at its Bishan Depot.
On Thursday, two German men, both 21, were arrested for allegedly making their way into the depot and spray-painting graffiti on a train on Nov 8.
How they managed to sneak in remains a mystery, but it was the fourth incident of vandalism at SMRT's depots since 2010.
Member of Parliament Lim Biow Chuan, who is on the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Transport, told The Straits Times yesterday that the repeated breaches were worrying.
"While the arrests in the latest incident give some comfort, it would be better if we can make sure that people can't just break in and do anything at the train depot," he said. "Today we have young people doing vandalism, tomorrow it may be someone else with a more dangerous intent."
MP Vikram Nair, who sits on the GPC for Home Affairs and Law, expects the police to look into how the latest security lapse occurred at what is "obviously a sensitive installation".
Transport GPC member Ang Hin Kee said it was too early to start pointing fingers and recommending changes, before investigations are completed. "Knowing the cause of the breach may provide some clue as to what needs to be done," he said.
The first depot breach occurred at SMRT's Changi installation in May 2010, when two vandals cut through the wire fence and spray-painted graffiti on one side of a train. Swiss national Oliver Fricker was given seven months' jail and three strokes of the cane, while Briton Lloyd Dane Alexander remains at large.
Then in August 2011, a hole was cut in the wire fence at Bishan Depot, and the words "Jet Setter's" spray-painted on a train. No one has been caught yet.
Since those incidents, for which it was fined $250,000 in total, SMRT had put in intrusion detection systems, increased patrols and switched its security contractor twice, going with Evtec in place of Ademco in 2010, and then hiring Certis Cisco in 2012.
Yet in May this year, a train was found in Bishan Depot with large surfaces of a carriage smeared in red, with smudges of white and green. Six months later, another train was vandalised.
"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," said SMRT vice-president Patrick Nathan. He added: "SMRT is working with the relevant agencies to strengthen all security measures in place."
German duo arrested over train vandalism
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
By Royston Sim, The Straits Times, 22 Nov 2014
The men, both 21, were nabbed by Malaysian police at Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 6pm on Thursday, and extradited to Singapore yesterday.
They are expected to be charged today with trespassing as well as vandalism, which carries a sentence of up to three years in jail or a maximum fine of $2,000, and a mandatoryC three to eight strokes of the cane.
The vandalism was detected on the morning of Nov 8, before the train entered service.
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. There was speculation that it had been an inside job after sources said no intrusion was detected, but the latest revelation raises fresh questions about security at SMRT's train depots.
This is the third breach at Bishan Depot since 2011, with two happening this year, despite improvements such as reinforced steel fences and intrusion detection systems. The depot at Changi was also breached in May 2010.
Yesterday, both SMRT and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said they would work with relevant parties to enhance the security of the transport network, but did not elaborate further.
Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport chair Cedric Foo stressed the seriousness of such lapses. "LTA and SMRT must learn from these episodes to improve security, including possibly a multi- layer defence approach," he added.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Tan Chye Hee, the Criminal Investigation Department director, said at a briefing yesterday that the two Germans entered Singapore on Nov 4. They flew off on Nov 8 - the same day SMRT discovered the graffiti, which was made up of crude words and symbols of multiple colours scrawled across two train doors.
Preliminary investigations established that the men travelled to Bangkok at one point, and help from the Royal Thai Police was sought to trace them.
The Royal Malaysia Police later arrested the duo at the airport on Thursday evening before they boarded a plane to Australia.
SAC Tan said the pair were on a visa that allowed them to work and travel in Australia, but declined to specify which part of the country they were going to.
Based on their current passports, the men were visiting Singapore for the first time earlier this month, SAC Tan added.
He also said there was nothing to suggest the duo were responsible for the previous vandalism incident at Bishan Depot in May. But the police will look into this possibility, he added.
SMRT train in Bishan Depot found vandalised
Graffiti spray-painted on train's exterior; no intrusion was detected at depot
By Carolyn Khew, The Sunday Times, 9 Nov 2014
Graffiti spray-painted on train's exterior; no intrusion was detected at depot
By Carolyn Khew, The Sunday Times, 9 Nov 2014
For the fourth time in four years and the second time this year alone, police were called to an SMRT depot yesterday to investigate a case of possible vandalism.
This time, the graffiti is believed to been spray-painted in various colours on the outside of a train at Bishan Depot. It was discovered yesterday morning before the train started service.
Police officers went to the Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1 premises after receiving a call at about 6.40am. In the afternoon, the police confirmed they were investigating a case of vandalism and that investigations were ongoing.
The transport operator has been fined a total of $250,000 in the past for security breaches at its depots, which are high-security areas.
The Sunday Times understands that no intrusion was detected at the Bishan Depot yesterday. This means that although the premises have an electronic Fence Intrusion Detection System, it was not triggered, suggesting that the culprits did not break through the fence.
Confirming the incident, the Land Transport Authority (LTA) said SMRT discovered the graffiti before the train left the depot to start service. An LTA spokesman said the authority "takes a serious view of the incident" and is working with the police and SMRT on the investigations.
SMRT's vice-president of corporate information and communications, Mr Patrick Nathan, said the transport operator was investigating the incident and assisting the police. He declined to comment further.
When The Sunday Times visited the depot yesterday afternoon, there was a police vehicle and three police officers stationed near the entrance. However, the media were not allowed in.
Since 2010, SMRT has had to deal with repeated vandalism incidents at the Bishan and Changi depots.
In May 2010, two vandals cut through the fence of SMRT's Changi depot and spray-painted graffiti on one side of a train. One of them, Swiss national Oliver Fricker, was given seven months' jail and three strokes of the cane, while his accomplice, Briton Lloyd Dane Alexander, remains at large.
Then, in August 2011, a hole was cut in the fence at the Bishan depot and the words "Jet Setter's" were spray-painted on one of the trains.
On May 5 this year, a red scrawl was discovered on a train before it left the Bishan depot for service. The police took fingerprints of SMRT staff working on the morning the train was found vandalised. Investigations for that incident are still ongoing.
After the second incident in 2011, SMRT faced strong criticism from politicians and the public. The train operator attributed the second incident to a security lapse, which took place due to human error.
It was reported in September this year that a new Fence Intrusion Detection System had been put in place at SMRT's Ulu Pandan, Bishan and Changi depots.
More lights and surveillance cameras were also installed to enable security staff to pinpoint the exact location of an intrusion and capture it on video.
MP Seng Han Thong, who is deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Transport, expressed concern yesterday over the latest incident at Bishan Depot.
"Some members of the public may think that Bishan Depot is an easy target," he said.
"I really hope that SMRT and LTA will review and enhance the system so that it does not happen again."