SINGAPORE: Two boys who broke into the back cabin of an MRT train on the North-South Line earlier in February have been given conditional warnings.
Videos of the incident have been circulated on social media in recent days.
In one clip, the two boys, aged 11 and 12, are seen forcefully opening the cabin partition door with a tool, before entering the restricted area and pressing what appears to be a white button several times.
A horn can also be heard in the video.
As at June 30, the clip posted on the singaporevirallsg Instagram page had garnered more than 281,000 views and close to 140 comments, and been reposted more than 200 times.
In a media reply on June 30, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai confirmed that the incident took place on Feb 21 aboard a train on the North-South Line.
The actions of the two boys triggered an on-board alarm, Lam said, adding that the train captain in the front train cabin immediately notified SMRT’s Operations Control Centre, which oversees daily train operations on the rail system.
Staff at the next station were alerted to investigate the incident and a police report was made, Lam said. The actions of the pair – who alighted at the next station – were caught on CCTV footage, he added.
The police, in response to queries from The Straits Times, confirmed that a report was lodged on Feb 21.
They said that the two boys were given conditional warnings under the Rapid Transit System Regulations.
The decision was made in consultation with the Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) after investigations were completed and following careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, the police said.
The decision to prosecute a person lies with the AGC.
Lam said: “We take a serious view of such incidents. Unauthorised access to restricted areas of our trains poses significant safety and security risks.
“Such reckless actions endanger those involved and may also disrupt train operations, affecting our commuters.” - The Straits Times/ANN
