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Source:
www.mha.gov.sg |
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Reply to ST's article on "Entrapment: Lawyers say
narcotics officers crossed the line in quest to nab offender, but
any method of entrapment is legal here", 16 June 2006 |
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Entrapment: A Necessary Enforcement Tool |
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16-Jun-2006 |
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The Editor Forum Page |
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The Straits Times |
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Dear Sir, |
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Entrapment: A Necessary Enforcement Tool |
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The report ¡°Entrapment: Lawyers say narcotics officers crossed the line
in quest to nab offender, but any method of entrapment is legal here¡±
(by Ms Stephanie Yap, Straits Times, 9 Jun), suggested that the CNB had
acted unethically in the apprehension of Adrian Yeo for drug possession. |
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This led to various letters from concerned members of the public on the
entrapment issue. |
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ST followed up on the subject again with an editorial ¡°Entrapment:
Fair or not?¡± (14 Jun) advocating that CNB¡¯s action against Yeo
was somehow wrong because ¡°Fair-minded people are entitled to
point out it seems neither fair nor ethical to encourage a person
to break the law, just for enforcement agencies to gather
evidence.¡± |
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The ST article published on 9 Jun regrettably did not report all the
facts of Adrian Yeo¡¯s case. |
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A diligent reading of Yeo¡¯s plea in mitigation which was presented
in court will show that Yeo had been consuming drugs even before
he came to the attention of CNB. |
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In fact, Yeo would not have been of any interest to CNB otherwise;
it was his drug abuse which led CNB to investigate him in the first
place. |
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When Yeo was asked if he had any drugs, Yeo volunteered to bring
drugs to the hotel where he was subsequently arrested with
Ecstasy, ¡®Ice¡¯, and Ketamine. |
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Adrian Yeo was, therefore, not a law-abiding person enticed into
committing an offence by CNB. In omitting to highlight the fact
that Yeo was a habitual drug abuser, the ST report has misled
readers into thinking that CNB had acted unethically when the
circumstances of the case clearly show the contrary and that CNB
had acted professionally. |
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The ST editorial of 14 Jun suggests that law enforcement methods
like entrapment should be reserved for only more serious offences
involving drug trafficking and ¡°national security¡±, rather than
drug abuse. This demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of
the situation. Drug abuse is a serious threat. |
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The battle against drugs in Singapore today faces a new challenge
¨C even as we have succeeded in addressing the serious heroin
problem of the past, we face today a growing potential problem of
synthetic drug abuse. |
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A majority of those arrested for synthetic drug abuse are first
time offenders. One of the concerns this trend raises is the
mentality of certain segments of our society who think that
synthetic drugs are ¡°soft¡± drugs which should be tolerated as they
are acceptable as part of a modern ¡°cool¡± lifestyle. This is a
dangerous attitude which we must not allow to take root in our
society. |
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The ST editorial also suggested that because Yeo is a
taxi-driver¡¯s son who made it as a doctor, but whose future is now
uncertain, the action taken against him will ¡°reinforce in some
people a sense that natural justice had been violated.¡± |
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This is a strange argument. Surely the ST is not suggesting that
the CNB action would be fairer and more just if Yeo had been
related to a person of high social standing? |
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This cannot be the way our criminal justice system should work.
Indeed, if the application of our criminal laws and the actions of
our law enforcement agencies are to be dictated by factors such as
an offender¡¯s family connections, income and social status this
will be highly unjust and perverse, and no Singaporean will stand
for it. |
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Finally, the ST editorial concluded by referring to the
¡°entrapment¡± case of insurance agent, Teo Ya Ling, as another
illustration of unethical action by the authorities. This is wrong
and without basis. |
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Teo Ya Ling was not an innocent law-abiding party tempted by CNB
officers into committing an offence. She was a small-time drug
dealer who had all along been supplying drugs to her clients in
return for their buying insurance policies from her. |
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While a time-honoured tenet of natural justice is audi alteram
partem ¨C ¡°to hear the other side¡± ¨C the ST reporter chose not to
obtain and verify the facts of the case from any of the relevant
enforcement agency, other than to ask whether CNB polices the
chatlines and the Internet. |
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At no point did the reporter seek the views of any relevant
enforcement agency on the issue of entrapment. If the ST reporter
and the person who wrote the editorial had done their research,
your paper would have been able to present a more balanced
perspective. |
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Yours faithfully, |
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MRS ONG-CHEW PECK WAN |
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Director, Corporate Communications
Division |
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for Permanent Secretary (Home Affairs) |
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Source:
www.mha.gov.sg News Release 16
Jun 2006 |
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Related Article: |
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Community Issues - Entrapment: A Necessary Enforcement Tool |
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