STOMPer Lennie was appalled when he learnt that the security cameras in front of Killiney NTUC Fairprice, where his dog had gone missing, were not working. To make things worse, the supermarket staff and police did not seem to care when the STOMPer tried to make a report.

In an email to STOMP today (Feb 2), the STOMPer says:

“On Feb 1, at 3pm, my partner and I stopped at the NTUC Fairprice at Killiney Road. We tied our 4-year-old Jack Russell to the base of a small tree at the entrance of the supermarket.

“There was another small dog there as well. Our Charlie was in front of all the entry and exit points.

“About 8 minutes later, when we emerged from the supermarket, much to our horror, we found our dog missing. We reported it to the store manager and security personnel.

“On requesting to view video footage of the store, imagine our outrage to be told that none of the six cameras in the supermarket, including one at the Automated Teller Machine, (ATM) were not in operation.

“They are apparently too costly to engage. Should an incident such as a kidnap or a theft occur, is the store equipped to handle them? 

“The store simply dismissed the incident with a verbal apology.

"The guard then proceeded to tell me that the ‘china workers’ would steal the dog either to sell or eat. Zsuzsi, my partner, fell to ground after hearing this, and this thought stayed with me till 4am this morning as I walked around building sites looking for Charlie.

“My nightmare continued at the Killiney Road Police Post, where I attempted to file a missing  animal report. I was not taken seriously by the officers who told me that they do not handle missing animal reports.

“Dognapping is as much a crime as kidnapping. It took me six visits to the police post before I could file a report with them.

“The complete disregard by the store staff and police over the theft of my dog has left me flabbergasted.

“As a foreigner who has lived in Singapore for 10 years and prided on it as a secure place to live and work in, I now beg to differ. Have we not learned from the entire Mas Selamat episode?   The attitude of the supermarket staff and the police seems to be, ‘It’s just a dog, why the fuss?’.

“My subsequent search of the area and conversations with shoppers at the supermarket reveal that my dog had been seen with a construction worker from China.

“Can the relevant authorities comment on why a supermarket like NTUC Fairprice would invest in installing security cameras but yet not operate them just to reduce cost and risk the security of its shoppers?"