SUICIDE INTERVENTION (Handling of cases by Police)

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SUICIDE INTERVENTION:

(Handling of cases by Police): 23.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how do the police handle adults who have been rescued from their attempted suicide efforts and now face criminal charges; (b) how do the police handle youths aged 18 years and below who have tried to (i) kill themselves and (ii) mutilate themselves; (c) what is the training police officers receive to handle such cases; and (d) in cases where children or youths have attempted suicide, when do the police bring in their parents, the school or the healthcare workers into the scene.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, while attempting suicide is an offence

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under section 309 of the Penal Code, Police rarely prosecutes a person for the offence. As a person who attempts suicide is often emotionally vulnerable, Police treats all cases of attempted suicide sensitively and compassionately. Police officers are trained to handle persons who have attempted suicide with the primary objective of assisting, rather than prosecuting them.

As the Minister for Community Development and Sports has said in this House, prevention of suicide requires the vigilance and cooperation of everyone - family, friends, colleagues, teachers and the others. Similarly, as one of the frontline agencies dealing with attempted suicide, police officers are taught by the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) as part of their basic training, to look out for signs of suicidal tendencies as well as the dos and don'ts in dealing with persons with such tendencies.

To develop Police's expertise in suicide intervention, specialised training is provided for officers-in-charge of frontline patrol teams. These officers are trained in basic negotiation skills so that they can dissuade a person threatening suicide from carrying it out. SCDF or other police units may also be called in to take precautionary measures, such as setting up airbags in cases where a person threatens to jump off a building. If the situation cannot be resolved, Police will call in their officers from the Crisis Negotiation Unit who are trained by experienced overseas negotiators to handle all kinds of situations requiring negotiation including attempting suicide cases.

After a person is rescued from the suicide attempt, Police investigating officers, who are also trained to be

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sensitive and patient when dealing with such subjects, will follow-up with their investigation of the case. Where juveniles are involved, Police will keep their parents or guardians informed. In general, Police will not notify the schools and will leave to the parents to decide if they would like the school to be notified. On completion of investigation, recommendations will be made to the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC). Depending on the circumstances of each case, the person may be prosecuted or given a warning. Of the 692 attempted suicide cases reported in 2003, only 13 cases, or less than 2%, were prosecuted.

All persons who have attempted suicide are referred to the SOS for counselling and assistance. In cases where the persons are hospitalised, they will also be counselled by psychologists.

Mutilating and causing hurt to oneself without intending to commit suicide is not an offence. Reported cases will be referred to the Ministry of Community Development and Sports (MCDS) so that the subject can be appropriately counselled and causes, such as depression or stress, addressed.

Ms Braema Mathiaparanam: Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for a comprehensive answer. I have just one follow-up question, please. At what point does the Police inform the family about the suicide attempt in the case of juveniles?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, this is done as soon as possible. Of course, whether doing so may hinder police investigations has to be taken into consideration, eg, whether any suicide note or medication may be destroyed or tampered with. Certainly, for juveniles, Police is mindful that the parents should be informed as soon as possible.