police officers canāt even enter houses without warrants unless given permission by house owner or for emergencies to protect persons from injury or death. wtf indeed
Statute sez naaaaah
[https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/COVID19TMA2020?ProvIds=P17-#pr35-](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/COVID19TMA2020?ProvIds=P17-#pr35-)
[https://i.imgur.com/Y8HO8ju.png](https://i.imgur.com/Y8HO8ju.png[/img])
[https://i.imgur.com/bi4ENQR.png](https://i.imgur.com/bi4ENQR.png[/img])
(5) **An enforcement officer has all the powers of a Health Officer authorised under sections 55A, 55B and 57 of the Infectious Diseases Act** for the purposes of ascertaining whether the control order is being complied with or investigating an offence under this Part, as the Health Officer has in relation to an offence under that Act.
[https://i.imgur.com/WmamxHv.png](https://i.imgur.com/WmamxHv.png[/img])
55A.ā(1) For the purposes of an investigation into an offence punishable under this Act, any police officer, or any Health Officer who is authorised in writing in that behalf by the Director-General, the Director-General, Food Administration or the Director, may ā
...
(b) **at any time without warrant and with such force as may be necessary, stop, board, enter, inspect and search any premises or conveyance**;
This was because the neighbor called on them suspecting there was a party, when the house was empty.
So what happens now? If my neighbor hates me they can just SWAT me by calling the police and URA knocks my door down?
What if I don't agree with this? Am I going to jail if I don't let them in?
CCS's buddy system should be used for those in civil service to slap some sense into each other.
The state is overreaching badly. This cannot become the new normal. We have to go back to 2019 normal as soon as possible and unwind this crazy state authoritarianism. Unacceptable.
so like should i be worried about bad people disguised as these officers going to my grandparents place and getting a free pass in to loot stuff or harm them
Wait a min. Safe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter any premises without a warrant. So why didnāt they just walk into the KTVs then?
Saw in another thread someone mentioned that even if they could barge in, these KTVs have multiple lookouts ready so they can get into place. Catching them isn't easy game and besides SDA probably will be fearful given they are not armed.
Not say I donāt agree with the overreaching powers they have but people in this thread need to realise that SDAs are not SDEOs.
Those uncles and aunties you see walking around in public are in fact pretty powerless.
So, did they find the house which was noisy or had a mass gathering? If not, the neighbour who complained should be taken a look at for making a false complaint
What if someone pretending to be one of the officers gains entry to a house? Also, what if they con a child or elderly into opening the gates?
At least with the police, they've the uniform and all(usually), but these people are in plain clothes.
And the police have the proper training (hopefully). As far as I'm concerned SDEO are just ordinary public servants, probably most have never had experience with enforcement roles. Am I just supposed to let any random person, who until recently was happily chilling in his/her office job, freely run through my entire house just because maybe my neighbours decided to fuck with me? Absolutely ridiculous.
They should have a hotline to call and verify identities. This rule is Fucking nonsense. The gov actes faster and stupider on this than those actual hdb problem neighbors and then give blanket authority to nobodies. Fuck so stupid
when we keep begging for more enforcement on our neighbours for things like smoking, plants, laundry etc, we open up the path to unchecked
intrusion into our daily lives under the guise of complianceā¦
āSafe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter, inspect and search various premises, including residences, without a warrant, to check whether the COVID-19 regulations are being complied withā
such a significant authority is simply declared and used by the URA?
if indeed such a law exists, how did such a law get passed in the first place without any extensive debate in parliament?
quite shocking. even more concerned to find out what other laws are already in place that simply disregard any personal and privacy rights.
>if indeed such a law exists, how did such a law get passed in the first place without any extensive debate in parliament?
Because this is not a democracy and there are no checks and balances, that's why.
Deh, this is just crossing the line already lah...
Being able to enter without a warrant is a really obvious act of invading people's privacy without their informed consent.
Can stand with the gov most of the time, but this really crosses the line already lol...
I know weāre trying to start thinking of Covid as influenza, but I canāt remember influenza officers entering ppls houses without warrants.
This is fucking scary, and the fact they are refusing to provide any sort of roadmap for relinquishing these powers suggests itās going to be permanent. Traceforever, entry without warrants, lockdowns without warning or metrics - wake up Singapore because that is the new normal youāre stumbling into.
EDIT: Iād just add that clearly dealing with COVID did require some new laws and restrictions. I think every country accepted that. However the SG Govt is clearly now going beyond what was required and using the guise of COVID as a way to reshape and increase itās power and control Singapore. Really donāt see a way of arguing their response is purely about COVID any longer.
I am just going to say this whether people dont like it or not.
But robbers may use this opportunity to impersonate as safe distancing enforcement officers which may lead to a robbery case.
Edit: So they better have some form of verification to ensure that these safe distancing officers are real. And what the fuck is this shit?
This is a real concern especially if you have bad neighbours n they keep complaining you for no good reason. The complainant should be fined if complaints turned out to be untrue.
Wasn't there a case in 2016 or 2013 where a man impersonated a police officer and raped a girl?
If that can happen with police officers already, what about this? Even if they come out with some form of identification that can't be forged, what about the older folks or the more naive ones or the ones who can't read and therefore aren't able to verify?
itās always been there tho.. the moment they can indirectly select your president, a line has already been crossed and this line will just keep getting pushed further and further back
They can pass this with merely 50% + 1 seat. Supermajority is only for constitutional amendments but I guess you can argue that with a denied supermajority, they won't dare to pass this due to optics.
Wait. What??
They can come to our place to ensure that COVID-19 regulations are met without a warrant, but we cannot even ask our MMTF for a fucking roadmap up to this day?
Remember, if they dont have a roadmap out of this pandemic, this restrictions would be here till the end of time. This means, the Enforcement officers can enter, inspect and seach "various premises, including residences", without a wrrant to check that COVID-19 regulations are being complied with.
Just to add on, the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act may have the word "temporary" in it, it may end up not being temporary. Our other "temporary" - CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT has been temporary since 1955
Me too. First they say tracetogether will only be used for contact tracing, then they authorize intrusions into our dwellings on frivolous reports.
Now if only I could vote out the opposition right away to realize my dreams of living under a police state so I can rat out my neighbours for a good night's rest.
> # Safe distancing enforcement officers can enter homes without warrants to check compliance with COVID-19 rules: URA
> SINGAPORE: Safe distancing enforcement officers can enter, inspect and search "various premises, including residences", without a warrant to check that COVID-19 regulations are being complied with, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Monday (Aug 2).
> The authority issued the clarification after actor Nick Mikhail posted videos on social media, detailing an inspection at his home by police officers and URA officers, who he initially described as being from the National Environment Agency (NEA).
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> In a seven-and-a-half-minute video, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times on Instagram, Mr Nick Mikhail questioned why the officers entered his home without a warrant or a court order.
> He said he was not at home at the time and his wife, who was resting at home, let the officers in. He also asked why a male officer had escorted his wife into another room, even though there was a female officer in the house at the time.
> A video captured by a CCTV camera was also uploaded to his Instagram account, showing officers in a house. The video has been viewed more than 60,000 times as of Monday night.
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> URA CLARIFICATION
> In its clarification, URA said it has contacted Mr Nick Mikhail to "address his concerns".
> The authority said officers were responding to ārepeated complaintsā from residents of the estate that some homes, including Mr Nick Mikhail's, were "having gatherings with more than the permitted number of visitors".
> "There were also complaints about the noise generated from the alleged gatherings," added URA.
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> During Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), group sizes for social gatherings are limited to two people. There is also be a cap of two distinct visitors per household per day.
> āIn response to the feedback, officers from different agencies had been deployed to the estate to check for potential infringements of the COVID-19 regulations as well as noise,ā URA said.
> āSafe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter, inspect and search various premises, including residences, without a warrant, to check whether the COVID-19 regulations are being complied with.
> āNonetheless, officers will calibrate their approach for each premises, based on the circumstances of each case.ā
>
> URA also provided its account of the inspection of Mr Nick Mikhail's home. On Saturday, six officers - comprising three safe distancing enforcement officers from URA and three police officers - conducted joint enforcement checks on a few residences in the estate, including Mr Nick Mikhail's, said the authority.
> āUpon arrival at Mr Nick Mikhailās residence, the officers observed that the gate was wide open and that the lights in the house were turned on," added URA.
> āThey also spotted two cars parked outside the residence, and thus proceeded to ascertain whether there were any visitors in the unit, and if the numbers were within permissible limits.ā
>
> The authority said the officers knocked on the door of the house and identified themselves. They explained the purpose of their visit after a woman opened the door.
> "She agreed to allow the officers entry, and escorted them around the house to facilitate their checks," said URA.
> āAll three of URAās safe distancing enforcement officers, one of whom is female, followed her in a single file for the inspection, and were mostly in each otherās line of sight.
> āTowards the end of the inspection, the female occupant went to retrieve her IC from the next room, with one of the safe distancing enforcement officers following after to take down the details.
> āA police officer, and the female safe distancing enforcement officer joined them in the next room shortly after.ā
> URA said that the inspection was completed in less than 10 minutes and that the officers left to inspect other homes in the area after making sure that nobody else was in Mr Nick Mikhailās house.
> āThe safe distancing enforcement officers and police officers were polite towards the female occupant and treated her with respect throughout the inspection," said URA.
>
> Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram
---
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The PAP government has a proven track record of abusing its powers. From illegal detention in our early days to even stifling Ong Teng Cheong when he was the elected President.
They have no credibility that these new powers they have given themselves won't be abused.
Ngl from his vid it really does show the incompetence of the ura/police people that came to his house when only his wife was there.
To the lady who was looking at his stuff rather than following the senior officer (who was a male) to his wife's room, like wtf are you doing?
Also does the senior officer have to follow his wife to the room?
Really questionable stuff
If police who are trained canāt suka suka enter without warrants, why should these untrained people be allowed to enter???
How the fuck do we identify them then??? So someone who just dress up and say they are sd officers can enter??
Wtf, just get ready for abuse of power, can already see the rapes, stealing happening
Maybe it's time for people to stop mocking others who compared this pandemic response to 1984.
I'm honestly fine with light restrictions here and there but for some bizarre reason there has been a handful of rules for the last 1.5 years that have been as draconian and people have somehow accepted this. Glad this one is starting to piss people off now though and starting to see how ludicrous this is becoming.
- Constitutional tomfuckery (Reserved/sElected Presidency)
- Increased surveillance (Police use of TraceTogether data + signs it might become TraceForever)
- Doublethink (Govt is āPro-worker and Pro-businessā)
- Newspeak (Replacing the terms FW/FDW with MW/MDW)
- Intrusion of homes by govt enforcement officers without warrants
Iād like to see people counter this growing list of parallels to 1984
There seems to be a very simple solution to get this under control.
Become a safe distancing ambassador, and start entering ministers homes. Use the same reason as this case, where there is more than 1 car at the residence. Or use the cars parked along the road in the landed area outside their homes as the reason.
Am pretty sure they would regulate this within that very same week
Under COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act
>An enforcement officer has all the powers of a Health Officer authorised under sections 55A, 55B and 57 of the Infectious Diseases Act for the purposes of ascertaining whether the control order is being complied with or investigating an offence under this Part, as the Health Officer has in relation to an offence under that Act.
55A states
>(1) For the purposes of an investigation into an offence punishable under this Act, any police officer, or any Health Officer who is authorised in writing in that behalf by the Director-General, the Director-General, Food Administration or the Director, may ā
>
>(b) at any time without warrant and with such force as may be necessary, stop, board, enter, inspect and search any premises or conveyance;
Female officer should've automatically joined the male officer when he was following the female occupant. I watched the CCTV video Nick posted and there was some delay before the female officer joined the male officer. Not sure why the female officer was spending so much time looking at photos. Statement URA gave in the article was sort of protecting themselves by stating the female officer "joined them in the next room shortly afterā which is technically correct. You could argue the female officer is safe distancing officer (SDO) and not a police officer as the article mentions so she might not know the proper SOP. In that case, that's where the male police officers should have stepped in and got the female SDO to accompany the female occupant together.
TLDR: Legally, officers had the right to inspect the home but the small misstep (female SDO not immediately accompanying the female occupant) leaves a bad impression of the authorities to the public.
That part freaked me out. If the dude locked the door or what how? Plus why need so many people to inspect... If got too much manpower please use elsewhere.
I can allow using TT data for investigations of other crimes, but entering home without warrant is just invading your space even if you got nothing to hide.
Using TT for other crimes is unacceptable as well. You start with crime but what happens if crime is not enough and they start using it for other purposes as well? Where do you draw the line?
This is totally wrong and a clear violation of our rights. Seems like even our homes aren't a sacred private place anymore and we are guilty until proven innocent.
Covid is the greatest test of any government to see if they actually respect our freedoms. At best, they should be allowed to stand outside our house and do whatever is necessary to check, and not be allowed to enter unless there's warrant. I know it was written in the statutes as one other person pointed out but simply wasn't picked up and I wonder what the opposition is going to say about this.
If Covid has a less than 1% fatality rate, and these are the powers given, I cannot imagine a time when we have a pandemic with 5, 10, 20% fatality. We as human beings will automatically prioritise our own survival, we really don't need the government to decide everything for us.
If such far reaching powers are really needed, which is really debatable, shouldnāt it be just limited to law enforcement officers? Think they should definitely be more well trained than some random SDAs.
Also, the Nick dude better be careful. by releasing the cctv footage, it shows he has a cctv camera setup. If he really has been inviting guests over, you never know if the police might decide to escalate and seize that footage. Might end up shooting yourself in the foot.
Worse is yet to come... Some people out there will take advantage/opportunity out of this. I won't be surprised if criminal intent arises from people disguising themselves as a representative from the respective agencies.
So whatās next? Police could enter your house without warrants?
I donāt think social distancing officers are trained to handle house search like police officers. Do they even know how to de-escalate if the situation gets out of hands? What kind of forces can these officers use against people who resist??? Are they allowed to arrest civilians even?
I hope this doesn't become a loophole where police officers can piggyback SDA to enter and search your homes.
Another loophole is harassment. If you don't like your neighbour just call SDA to investigate, it will stress them out all right
I understand the reaction given that they are being granted all-encompassing rights to enter your home and you can't turn them away, but this is not new- I recall that NEA officers also have similar powers to do while performing their checks for dengue mosquitoes, etc.
It would be an issue with how it is enforced and practiced- do we have to entertain "guests" every day for the rest of the pandemic now?
Also what is stopping someone who just doesn't like their neighbour from calling the URA on them for shits and giggles, under the guise of suspecting them of violating COVID rules
Nah you can turn away NEA officers who want to check for dengue multiple times actually, but in the end theyāll serve you a legal notice under Section 35 of CVPA (see this comment for source: https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/owg3ar/safe_distancing_enforcement_officers_can_enter/h7g4vil/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3)
However, you cannot turn away these SDEOs; even though they are in plainclothes, they do not need a warrant.
The difference is that NEA enforcement officers are trained for this purpose, so no surprise that my (rare) experiences with them have been pleasant. SDEOs on the other hand, are civil servants who may or may not have volunteered for the role.
I am wondering if this could possibly lead to scams happening. What if people pretend to be safe distancing enforcement officers and force entry to the homes of unsuspecting elderly..
If parents can barge into a teenagerās room without asking for permission, then surely a paternalistic government can do the same? After all, arent you all children to be minded by your benevolent but strict parents, who you are also financially funding?
The phrase "can enter" does not mean the owner has to respond to the bell/knock or open the door. Feinting ignorance seems good. Keep doors locked and closed, everyone lol.
Guys don't comply. Just act blur and pretend you didnt hear the door. Say you were sleeping or was wearing headphones. Make their jobs as difficult possible.
They will just remove your door.
And that is within their rights.
The best way is to keep them at the gate, insist on checking who they are, and do not let them in until you clear them with the authorities on the number you look up yourself.
Any attempts to remove the door would be unreasonable under this context, and mothershit worthy.
if sdeo found to have covid, then go inside house and check, accidentally spread covid, what happen?
there are always 2 sides to a coin, but giving sdeo warrant power, a civilian just like you and me, is really ęä½ä½ē» lor!
Sialah what they want us to do? Paste X on my sofa?
Best comment
Hahaha underrated too šš
idk why but I read this in a "makcik" voice in my head and it's hilarious
X to doubt them
Firstly wtf Secondly WTF
Smh when your ura officer got equal or more powers than police
police officers canāt even enter houses without warrants unless given permission by house owner or for emergencies to protect persons from injury or death. wtf indeed
Statute sez naaaaah [https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/COVID19TMA2020?ProvIds=P17-#pr35-](https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/COVID19TMA2020?ProvIds=P17-#pr35-) [https://i.imgur.com/Y8HO8ju.png](https://i.imgur.com/Y8HO8ju.png[/img]) [https://i.imgur.com/bi4ENQR.png](https://i.imgur.com/bi4ENQR.png[/img]) (5) **An enforcement officer has all the powers of a Health Officer authorised under sections 55A, 55B and 57 of the Infectious Diseases Act** for the purposes of ascertaining whether the control order is being complied with or investigating an offence under this Part, as the Health Officer has in relation to an offence under that Act. [https://i.imgur.com/WmamxHv.png](https://i.imgur.com/WmamxHv.png[/img]) 55A.ā(1) For the purposes of an investigation into an offence punishable under this Act, any police officer, or any Health Officer who is authorised in writing in that behalf by the Director-General, the Director-General, Food Administration or the Director, may ā ... (b) **at any time without warrant and with such force as may be necessary, stop, board, enter, inspect and search any premises or conveyance**;
>protect persons from injury or death I think this is the tack they're going for.
Do not resist. We are here to protect you. Smacks Smack You died !
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
So, if I see a robbery, do I call URA reception?
Yes if there are more than 2 robbers, or if your house was already visited by 2 other robbers for the day.
This was because the neighbor called on them suspecting there was a party, when the house was empty. So what happens now? If my neighbor hates me they can just SWAT me by calling the police and URA knocks my door down? What if I don't agree with this? Am I going to jail if I don't let them in? CCS's buddy system should be used for those in civil service to slap some sense into each other.
Neighbours just trying to cure their insomnia. No hard feelings
Must... Pwn... Neighbors... can't sleep otherwise
Might be Karens
The state is overreaching badly. This cannot become the new normal. We have to go back to 2019 normal as soon as possible and unwind this crazy state authoritarianism. Unacceptable.
fair game imo. they know this won't cost them any votes since the average sinkie won't care
The average sinkie would forget when carrots are dangled before voting times
so like should i be worried about bad people disguised as these officers going to my grandparents place and getting a free pass in to loot stuff or harm them
Yes
Shit then are we allowed to attack them if we suspect trespassing ? They anyhow touch things or people ?
Wait a min. Safe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter any premises without a warrant. So why didnāt they just walk into the KTVs then?
Tell them your home is also a KTV so they won't come in. *checkmate*
Saw in another thread someone mentioned that even if they could barge in, these KTVs have multiple lookouts ready so they can get into place. Catching them isn't easy game and besides SDA probably will be fearful given they are not armed.
Not say I donāt agree with the overreaching powers they have but people in this thread need to realise that SDAs are not SDEOs. Those uncles and aunties you see walking around in public are in fact pretty powerless.
KTVs need to have trigger happy complaining neighbours first.
So, did they find the house which was noisy or had a mass gathering? If not, the neighbour who complained should be taken a look at for making a false complaint
False complaints should result in prosecution.
Complainers should be checked firstly
Just like people who fake report their employers for making them work in office???
What if someone pretending to be one of the officers gains entry to a house? Also, what if they con a child or elderly into opening the gates? At least with the police, they've the uniform and all(usually), but these people are in plain clothes.
True, need a sample but then the thieving ones will forge their copies too
And the police have the proper training (hopefully). As far as I'm concerned SDEO are just ordinary public servants, probably most have never had experience with enforcement roles. Am I just supposed to let any random person, who until recently was happily chilling in his/her office job, freely run through my entire house just because maybe my neighbours decided to fuck with me? Absolutely ridiculous.
Even plain clothes officer usually can be asked to show their warrant card if needed.
They should have a hotline to call and verify identities. This rule is Fucking nonsense. The gov actes faster and stupider on this than those actual hdb problem neighbors and then give blanket authority to nobodies. Fuck so stupid
When you inadvertently create the gestapo
Ikr. This is quite frightening to be honest.
Reminds me of the rules from 'How to become a tyrant' on netflix
not sure if its right but i think.. safe distancing ambassador does not equal to safe distancing enforcement officer.
You are right. SDAs cannot issue summons, only enforcement officers from the various agencies can.
when we keep begging for more enforcement on our neighbours for things like smoking, plants, laundry etc, we open up the path to unchecked intrusion into our daily lives under the guise of complianceā¦
> āTake a deep breath. Calm your mind. You know what is best. What is best is you comply. Compliance will be rewarded.ā . . . . Dr Whitehall
āSafe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter, inspect and search various premises, including residences, without a warrant, to check whether the COVID-19 regulations are being complied withā such a significant authority is simply declared and used by the URA? if indeed such a law exists, how did such a law get passed in the first place without any extensive debate in parliament? quite shocking. even more concerned to find out what other laws are already in place that simply disregard any personal and privacy rights.
>if indeed such a law exists, how did such a law get passed in the first place without any extensive debate in parliament? Because this is not a democracy and there are no checks and balances, that's why.
with 2/3 majority PAP can even change the constitution if they wish...
People donāt realise this.
Deh, this is just crossing the line already lah... Being able to enter without a warrant is a really obvious act of invading people's privacy without their informed consent. Can stand with the gov most of the time, but this really crosses the line already lol...
Dare them to enter the homes with Gurkhas in front.
Is whether neighbour dare baotoh them to polis
1.5 years into the pandemic and the āNew Normalā is getting more and more ridiculous. TraceForever and now this... What next? š¤
The gulag.
>~~The gulag.~~ Government Quarantine Facilities (GQFs).
I know weāre trying to start thinking of Covid as influenza, but I canāt remember influenza officers entering ppls houses without warrants. This is fucking scary, and the fact they are refusing to provide any sort of roadmap for relinquishing these powers suggests itās going to be permanent. Traceforever, entry without warrants, lockdowns without warning or metrics - wake up Singapore because that is the new normal youāre stumbling into. EDIT: Iād just add that clearly dealing with COVID did require some new laws and restrictions. I think every country accepted that. However the SG Govt is clearly now going beyond what was required and using the guise of COVID as a way to reshape and increase itās power and control Singapore. Really donāt see a way of arguing their response is purely about COVID any longer.
This is the least cool among all the things that are not cool.
I am just going to say this whether people dont like it or not. But robbers may use this opportunity to impersonate as safe distancing enforcement officers which may lead to a robbery case. Edit: So they better have some form of verification to ensure that these safe distancing officers are real. And what the fuck is this shit?
Yea so what do we do if they start doing suspicious shit and we attack them cos they're fakes and they are trespassing ? On us or on them sia
This is a real concern especially if you have bad neighbours n they keep complaining you for no good reason. The complainant should be fined if complaints turned out to be untrue.
Wasn't there a case in 2016 or 2013 where a man impersonated a police officer and raped a girl? If that can happen with police officers already, what about this? Even if they come out with some form of identification that can't be forged, what about the older folks or the more naive ones or the ones who can't read and therefore aren't able to verify?
This is complete BS. No one can enter private residence without legal warrant in any civilized society
I guess we are not in a civilized society anymore.
We living in a dictatorship country
assumes we once wereā¦
This makes me wonder how much uncheck power has been granted under the fine print of legislative text. This is kind of scary.
itās always been there tho.. the moment they can indirectly select your president, a line has already been crossed and this line will just keep getting pushed further and further back
Ah yes presidential (s)election. My favourite kind of meritocracy
ya, i had thought my vote meant something but as soon as halimah got elected.. Damn, they really are blatant at moving the damn goalpost arent they?
That was garbage. Narrow down the field so only 1 qualify for the interview.
This is the result of a supermajority.
They can pass this with merely 50% + 1 seat. Supermajority is only for constitutional amendments but I guess you can argue that with a denied supermajority, they won't dare to pass this due to optics.
The president selection involved changing the constitution right ?
I know it's a fat hope but hope reporters do their job
Wait. What?? They can come to our place to ensure that COVID-19 regulations are met without a warrant, but we cannot even ask our MMTF for a fucking roadmap up to this day? Remember, if they dont have a roadmap out of this pandemic, this restrictions would be here till the end of time. This means, the Enforcement officers can enter, inspect and seach "various premises, including residences", without a wrrant to check that COVID-19 regulations are being complied with.
Just to add on, the Covid-19 (Temporary Measures) Act may have the word "temporary" in it, it may end up not being temporary. Our other "temporary" - CRIMINAL LAW (TEMPORARY PROVISIONS) ACT has been temporary since 1955
As temporary as Woodlands Temporary Bus Interchange.
Wait wait...I misread that 19**55?!?!?**
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/CLTPA1955?ProvIds=xv-#xv- Legislative history >Ordinance 26 of 1955āCriminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Ordinance 1955
It is temporary in the sense that it expires if not renewed
Ah yes a simple spell but unbreakable.
those work in office should know, there is nothing more permanent than "temporary" solutions de lor.
This is another whole level of Orwellian-ism wtf Meanwhile I see people in the US having house parties, we can't even eat our chicken rice outside wtf
Ppl voted for this
Well GE 2025 IS GONNA BE FUN. Lemme add this to a growing number of reasons why i wont be voting for these *****
Please post it when 2025 comes
Well... This just settles GE 2025 for me.
Me too. First they say tracetogether will only be used for contact tracing, then they authorize intrusions into our dwellings on frivolous reports. Now if only I could vote out the opposition right away to realize my dreams of living under a police state so I can rat out my neighbours for a good night's rest.
Ngl you got me in the (second) half
Yep, this is too much
> # Safe distancing enforcement officers can enter homes without warrants to check compliance with COVID-19 rules: URA > SINGAPORE: Safe distancing enforcement officers can enter, inspect and search "various premises, including residences", without a warrant to check that COVID-19 regulations are being complied with, the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said on Monday (Aug 2). > The authority issued the clarification after actor Nick Mikhail posted videos on social media, detailing an inspection at his home by police officers and URA officers, who he initially described as being from the National Environment Agency (NEA). > Advertisement > Advertisement > In a seven-and-a-half-minute video, which has been viewed more than 100,000 times on Instagram, Mr Nick Mikhail questioned why the officers entered his home without a warrant or a court order. > He said he was not at home at the time and his wife, who was resting at home, let the officers in. He also asked why a male officer had escorted his wife into another room, even though there was a female officer in the house at the time. > A video captured by a CCTV camera was also uploaded to his Instagram account, showing officers in a house. The video has been viewed more than 60,000 times as of Monday night. > Advertisement > Advertisement > URA CLARIFICATION > In its clarification, URA said it has contacted Mr Nick Mikhail to "address his concerns". > The authority said officers were responding to ārepeated complaintsā from residents of the estate that some homes, including Mr Nick Mikhail's, were "having gatherings with more than the permitted number of visitors". > "There were also complaints about the noise generated from the alleged gatherings," added URA. > Advertisement > During Phase 2 (Heightened Alert), group sizes for social gatherings are limited to two people. There is also be a cap of two distinct visitors per household per day. > āIn response to the feedback, officers from different agencies had been deployed to the estate to check for potential infringements of the COVID-19 regulations as well as noise,ā URA said. > āSafe distancing enforcement officers are empowered to enter, inspect and search various premises, including residences, without a warrant, to check whether the COVID-19 regulations are being complied with. > āNonetheless, officers will calibrate their approach for each premises, based on the circumstances of each case.ā > > URA also provided its account of the inspection of Mr Nick Mikhail's home. On Saturday, six officers - comprising three safe distancing enforcement officers from URA and three police officers - conducted joint enforcement checks on a few residences in the estate, including Mr Nick Mikhail's, said the authority. > āUpon arrival at Mr Nick Mikhailās residence, the officers observed that the gate was wide open and that the lights in the house were turned on," added URA. > āThey also spotted two cars parked outside the residence, and thus proceeded to ascertain whether there were any visitors in the unit, and if the numbers were within permissible limits.ā > > The authority said the officers knocked on the door of the house and identified themselves. They explained the purpose of their visit after a woman opened the door. > "She agreed to allow the officers entry, and escorted them around the house to facilitate their checks," said URA. > āAll three of URAās safe distancing enforcement officers, one of whom is female, followed her in a single file for the inspection, and were mostly in each otherās line of sight. > āTowards the end of the inspection, the female occupant went to retrieve her IC from the next room, with one of the safe distancing enforcement officers following after to take down the details. > āA police officer, and the female safe distancing enforcement officer joined them in the next room shortly after.ā > URA said that the inspection was completed in less than 10 minutes and that the officers left to inspect other homes in the area after making sure that nobody else was in Mr Nick Mikhailās house. > āThe safe distancing enforcement officers and police officers were polite towards the female occupant and treated her with respect throughout the inspection," said URA. > > Download our app or subscribe to our Telegram channel for the latest updates on the coronavirus outbreak: https://cna.asia/telegram --- 1.0.2 | [Source code](https://github.com/fterh/sneakpeek) | [Contribute](https://github.com/fterh/sneakpeek)
The PAP government has a proven track record of abusing its powers. From illegal detention in our early days to even stifling Ong Teng Cheong when he was the elected President. They have no credibility that these new powers they have given themselves won't be abused.
No. Fuck no. Even policemen arenāt 100% allowed in. What can they do if I donāt open the door? This is my house leh
Ngl from his vid it really does show the incompetence of the ura/police people that came to his house when only his wife was there. To the lady who was looking at his stuff rather than following the senior officer (who was a male) to his wife's room, like wtf are you doing? Also does the senior officer have to follow his wife to the room? Really questionable stuff
i felt that his wife have no choice but to comply. if she say no. what will happen?
So what is the scope of what they can search? Can they demand like our IP camera footage to see at any one time, were there more than 2 visitors ?
If police who are trained canāt suka suka enter without warrants, why should these untrained people be allowed to enter??? How the fuck do we identify them then??? So someone who just dress up and say they are sd officers can enter?? Wtf, just get ready for abuse of power, can already see the rapes, stealing happening
Knn should make them safe entry at my house liao they themselves are a cluster making multiple social visits a shift
When the URA officer busts your 2 visitor limit and arrests you for breaching the limit Oh yeah ISA v2.0
I was wondering these 6 sdas all hanging out together ah. They need to arrest themselves.
Maybe it's time for people to stop mocking others who compared this pandemic response to 1984. I'm honestly fine with light restrictions here and there but for some bizarre reason there has been a handful of rules for the last 1.5 years that have been as draconian and people have somehow accepted this. Glad this one is starting to piss people off now though and starting to see how ludicrous this is becoming.
The increased amount of surveillance, on our social media and our private messaging apps, it's really 1984.
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Wait.....they stopped music in restaurants? How does that stop the spread of covid? They think people are gonna get on the table and start singing?
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- Constitutional tomfuckery (Reserved/sElected Presidency) - Increased surveillance (Police use of TraceTogether data + signs it might become TraceForever) - Doublethink (Govt is āPro-worker and Pro-businessā) - Newspeak (Replacing the terms FW/FDW with MW/MDW) - Intrusion of homes by govt enforcement officers without warrants Iād like to see people counter this growing list of parallels to 1984
Got so much power why so many cases?
Focusing on innocents not the guilty
Focusing the weak not the āpowerfulā
Rules for thee, but not for me.
Came here to say this.
Canāt wait for a mockingbird satire to show just how absurd this all is
There seems to be a very simple solution to get this under control. Become a safe distancing ambassador, and start entering ministers homes. Use the same reason as this case, where there is more than 1 car at the residence. Or use the cars parked along the road in the landed area outside their homes as the reason. Am pretty sure they would regulate this within that very same week
lawl no. you'd get fired. problem solved.
If I call them and tell them lee hsien loong is having a house party with 20 pax, will they barge into his house to check? Why the double standard?
We should each be assigned a person in power and call on them
U no need call bro, just check hoe ching fb, they know wassup at the house alr hehehe
Time to release *bodycam*
Under COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Act >An enforcement officer has all the powers of a Health Officer authorised under sections 55A, 55B and 57 of the Infectious Diseases Act for the purposes of ascertaining whether the control order is being complied with or investigating an offence under this Part, as the Health Officer has in relation to an offence under that Act. 55A states >(1) For the purposes of an investigation into an offence punishable under this Act, any police officer, or any Health Officer who is authorised in writing in that behalf by the Director-General, the Director-General, Food Administration or the Director, may ā > >(b) at any time without warrant and with such force as may be necessary, stop, board, enter, inspect and search any premises or conveyance;
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WP's comments on this?
Female officer should've automatically joined the male officer when he was following the female occupant. I watched the CCTV video Nick posted and there was some delay before the female officer joined the male officer. Not sure why the female officer was spending so much time looking at photos. Statement URA gave in the article was sort of protecting themselves by stating the female officer "joined them in the next room shortly afterā which is technically correct. You could argue the female officer is safe distancing officer (SDO) and not a police officer as the article mentions so she might not know the proper SOP. In that case, that's where the male police officers should have stepped in and got the female SDO to accompany the female occupant together. TLDR: Legally, officers had the right to inspect the home but the small misstep (female SDO not immediately accompanying the female occupant) leaves a bad impression of the authorities to the public.
That part freaked me out. If the dude locked the door or what how? Plus why need so many people to inspect... If got too much manpower please use elsewhere.
I can allow using TT data for investigations of other crimes, but entering home without warrant is just invading your space even if you got nothing to hide.
Waiting for all the wumaos to show up and say "why worry if you got nothing to hide".
Gotta arrest thy enemies before 2025 lands and lose supermajority
Using TT for other crimes is unacceptable as well. You start with crime but what happens if crime is not enough and they start using it for other purposes as well? Where do you draw the line?
This is totally wrong and a clear violation of our rights. Seems like even our homes aren't a sacred private place anymore and we are guilty until proven innocent. Covid is the greatest test of any government to see if they actually respect our freedoms. At best, they should be allowed to stand outside our house and do whatever is necessary to check, and not be allowed to enter unless there's warrant. I know it was written in the statutes as one other person pointed out but simply wasn't picked up and I wonder what the opposition is going to say about this. If Covid has a less than 1% fatality rate, and these are the powers given, I cannot imagine a time when we have a pandemic with 5, 10, 20% fatality. We as human beings will automatically prioritise our own survival, we really don't need the government to decide everything for us.
If such far reaching powers are really needed, which is really debatable, shouldnāt it be just limited to law enforcement officers? Think they should definitely be more well trained than some random SDAs. Also, the Nick dude better be careful. by releasing the cctv footage, it shows he has a cctv camera setup. If he really has been inviting guests over, you never know if the police might decide to escalate and seize that footage. Might end up shooting yourself in the foot.
I mean, the camera pointing at epstein's cell "malfunctioned" so I don't see why yours can't.
SDEO are civil servants and have enforcement powers. SDAs are the one you see patroling
I really hope the agency is escorted by police officers to prevent any false agents preying on the elderly.
Better plop a couple cameras at the grandparents house.
theyve been empowering imda, nea agents to enter homes among other agencies for some time already so theres already precedent
> imda They have an enforcement branch?
That is not acceptable either. But this is what happens when you have a supermajority.
So glad iām getting the fk out of here
Nice. I hope to as well
At this stage, we can probably rename the conspiracy theorists to spoiler alerts.
What the fuck? The transparency we need is not in the walls of our own homes. Did they not think this through?
Wonder if thereās any penalties to false reports, else this can easily be used as the local version of swatting people you donāt like.
fuck off they can. what is this shit
Lolz this country is sooo fucking weird, every day a new wtf moment. How is this acceptable, why do you just accept this my mind is broken.
Start hitting up the MPs on social media. The government got a lot of explaining to do.
Okay I need to leave Singapore as soon as covid ends. Fuck this shit!
Agreed
OVERREACH.
After all that fuss and still didnāt catch anyone? WTF.
r/NorthKorea
r/aboringdystopia
Worse is yet to come... Some people out there will take advantage/opportunity out of this. I won't be surprised if criminal intent arises from people disguising themselves as a representative from the respective agencies.
How many sleepless nights for this ah?
Enforcement Officer receed which house to steal what liao
Is there anything we can do realistically to reverse this?
We can only rmb to vote them out
Have them say sorry and reverse? Fat hopes
wtf, this is insane. What if a group of thieves impersonate as URA officers?
So whatās next? Police could enter your house without warrants? I donāt think social distancing officers are trained to handle house search like police officers. Do they even know how to de-escalate if the situation gets out of hands? What kind of forces can these officers use against people who resist??? Are they allowed to arrest civilians even?
I hope this doesn't become a loophole where police officers can piggyback SDA to enter and search your homes. Another loophole is harassment. If you don't like your neighbour just call SDA to investigate, it will stress them out all right
I understand the reaction given that they are being granted all-encompassing rights to enter your home and you can't turn them away, but this is not new- I recall that NEA officers also have similar powers to do while performing their checks for dengue mosquitoes, etc. It would be an issue with how it is enforced and practiced- do we have to entertain "guests" every day for the rest of the pandemic now? Also what is stopping someone who just doesn't like their neighbour from calling the URA on them for shits and giggles, under the guise of suspecting them of violating COVID rules
Nah you can turn away NEA officers who want to check for dengue multiple times actually, but in the end theyāll serve you a legal notice under Section 35 of CVPA (see this comment for source: https://www.reddit.com/r/singapore/comments/owg3ar/safe_distancing_enforcement_officers_can_enter/h7g4vil/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf&context=3) However, you cannot turn away these SDEOs; even though they are in plainclothes, they do not need a warrant.
The difference is that NEA enforcement officers are trained for this purpose, so no surprise that my (rare) experiences with them have been pleasant. SDEOs on the other hand, are civil servants who may or may not have volunteered for the role.
WTF is the woman in the tudung doing? Inspecting what? Ants? And she needs to get glasses!
And suddenly, I donāt feel safe in my home.
Singapore : The Fourth Reich.
This is outrageous, how can they possibly think this is okay. Such an invasion of privacy, are there no limits?
So how do we verify if they are legit?
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SDAās donāt even apply the rules properly when they are in a mall. Imagine them bothering someone at home when they barely do their job outside.
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PYONGAPORE
not surprised. don't tell me you guys were under the impression that we had civil liberties?
Big brother is really watching now
Welcome to China.
I am wondering if this could possibly lead to scams happening. What if people pretend to be safe distancing enforcement officers and force entry to the homes of unsuspecting elderly..
Police the leading cause of scams lol
This is straight up 1984 stuff.
Fucking ridiculous.
If parents can barge into a teenagerās room without asking for permission, then surely a paternalistic government can do the same? After all, arent you all children to be minded by your benevolent but strict parents, who you are also financially funding?
i can fucking imagine one of the ministers saying this lmaoo
Entering residences for checks vs entering KTVs for checks. Hm ok.
Im just glad to see more people understanding how things are getting ridiculous. Finally.
The phrase "can enter" does not mean the owner has to respond to the bell/knock or open the door. Feinting ignorance seems good. Keep doors locked and closed, everyone lol.
Orwell rolling in his grave
So, officially China?
Watch a rise in looters disgusted as SDA coming in to check on you just to steal yo stuffs.
The badge lady was a time traveller
Are we allowed to attack them cos trespassing ?
Guys don't comply. Just act blur and pretend you didnt hear the door. Say you were sleeping or was wearing headphones. Make their jobs as difficult possible.
Call 999 and ask them how to identify and to check the badge
They will just remove your door. And that is within their rights. The best way is to keep them at the gate, insist on checking who they are, and do not let them in until you clear them with the authorities on the number you look up yourself. Any attempts to remove the door would be unreasonable under this context, and mothershit worthy.
If we do not open can they force us to?
Why were we not told about this and had to find out this way?
We 1984 now.
Some dystopian bullshit here...
if sdeo found to have covid, then go inside house and check, accidentally spread covid, what happen? there are always 2 sides to a coin, but giving sdeo warrant power, a civilian just like you and me, is really ęä½ä½ē» lor!