SMRT says their staff were prompt in responding to the apprehension of the sexual offender, but acknowledge that they could have handled the situation better by seeking reinforcement from other station staff.

In a post dated Dec 1, STOMPer Alex wrote in saying he was appalled that MRT station staff did not seem to care when he apprehended and brought a pervert to their attention.

In an email to STOMP today (Dec 2), an SMRT spokesperson said:

“On the evening of 30 November, our station staff were informed of a dispute between two male passengers at Bugis MRT Station. The Station Manager immediately attended to the two men and found out that one guy was accusing the other of indecent behaviour.

“The Station Manager then enlisted the help of a Transit Security Officer, who happened to be nearby, to keep an eye on the two men while he informed the Police. While making the call, the accused male passenger got away. The complainant then informed the Station Manager that the suspect had gone down to the platform.

“The Station Manager went to the platform to look for the suspect but could not find him. He then informed the complainant to wait for the arrival of the Police so that he could file a police report. When the Police arrived, they interviewed the complainant and took down his statement.

“Although our staff were prompt in attending to the matter, we acknowledge that we could have handled the situation better by seeking reinforcement from other station staff. We will also feedback to the security agency that the remarks made by the Transit Security Officer were not appropriate in this instance.

“We wish to further assure passengers that our staff are trained in handling such incidents, and that the usual protocol would be to detain the suspect and notify the police so that follow up action can be taken.”