“Never approach people from behind”: how security officers and ambassadors handle the public

SINGAPORE: The day the National Environment Agency (NEA) deployed Chow Kai Wen as a compliance officer, a member of the public slapped him.

Chow, who was with a colleague, had approached the man when they saw him eat at a table in a street vendor center, in violation of regulations during the “circuit breaker.”

After identifying themselves, they informed him that he had committed a crime and asked for their details. But he ignored them, so they had to call the police for help.

When he finished his meal and tried to leave, the duo stopped him. It was then that he slapped Chow on the left cheek, causing his mask to break.

“It was quite unexpected,” said the 38-year-old man. “The first thing I thought was that the law has to deal with it. We don’t deserve this.

“Fortunately, the police came soon after.”

This man was the only one Chow had to fine in his brief term as a compliance officer, a role that involves patrolling and monitoring violations of safe distancing measures.

The NEA (tenure management) senior assistant director generally oversees the operations of street vendor markets and centers, including crowd control and entrance management to these areas. But that day, I was covering a colleague.

The team of security officers he oversees has told him stories of verbal abuse and resistance among members of the public. He himself has received complaints, in addition to receiving a slap.

“People would get frustrated with us, saying,‘ Why are you so stupid to implement this? Why are you doing this to make us uncomfortable? “” He quoted. “We may feel affected, but we still need to remain calm.”

Since the start of the switch on April 7, these officers and the safe distancing ambassadors have faced many people. And it’s been a steep learning curve, even when most of their encounters have been positive.

THE “LIGHT TOUCH” APPROACH

Around 3,000 compliance officers and ambassadors have been deployed daily in public places and properties of the Housing and Development Board.

They come from around 50 public agencies and also include volunteers and non-public servants, such as those from the hospitality and aviation sectors, the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources said last month.

Cindy Tay, for example, is a 32-year-old former tour guide who was agreed by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) to be a safe distance ambassador when her tour group bookings began to run low as the situation COVID-19 intensified.

The same thing happened to another tour guide, Jeff Tan, 32.

“I like being outdoors, so when this opportunity arose, I thought, on the one hand, that I can help Singaporeans and businesses follow new guidelines; on the other … I am allowed to go out and walk while doing my chores, “he said.

The two are part of a group of 12 stationed in Chinatown, where they patrol the assigned areas in pairs. They work shifts, three days in a row, three days off, starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 8 p.m., with a two-hour break in between.

When they see rapes, they take pictures when possible and share them with STB officers. They also return during their shift to see if there is compliance. If the person has not yet complied, they report to the officer in charge, who would then file a case with the police for follow-up action.

But both Tay and Tan emphasized that they take a “light touch” approach, which they say is influenced by their tourism experience.

“We take care of guests from all over the world, so we can understand or look at their body language and see if they have misunderstood us or if they are uncomfortable,” Tan said. “Then we would try to clarify.”

He added with a smile: “In general, we are also more patient.”

Empathy also plays a role, for example, when Tay must make older people sit in groups to disperse.

“They’ve been there for 30 to 40 years, sitting there playing chess and chatting … You’re telling them to change overnight. I think we have to be very compassionate,” said the 57-year-old man.

“I tell you, please, it’s for your health, and the government really cares about you.”

She also offers them “other possibilities”. “If they tell me that they are very bored at home, I tell them to come down in staggered hours,” he quoted.

He added that he pays attention to his body language, making a point not to approach them “as if he was going to summon them.” Instead, he approaches with a smile, which he hopes will be visible behind his mask, he joked.

And she always greets you first. “After all, we are not compliance officers,” he said.

THE MAJORITY ARE COOPERATIVE

But law enforcement officials may also consider how they deal with people.

Chow, who is often found in the Geylang Serai market, where the NEA restricts entry based on the last digit of the user’s ID card number, said he can understand the frustrations of some of the people he has rejected.

They include the elderly, who may have made the trip to the market despite having difficulty traveling. Then I would educate them on the need to comply with the regulations. He stressed to CNA Insider the importance of remaining professional and firm.

The key difference between law enforcement officials and ambassadors is that the ambassadors do not have the power to issue fines. Your task is simply to remind people of measures such as wearing a mask and leaving enough space when queuing.

But they can also enter the line of fire.

Nat, an SG Clean ambassador in his 40s, has been patrolling a food court since mid-April. On his first day, he encountered a grocer who refused to wear a mask due to the heat at his stall and complained that the government “has no idea what they are going through.”

She also insisted, she said, that NEA officers “come and stand at your post to see what it’s like.” She said it took a lot of patience, multiple conversations with her, and the efforts of different colleagues, before she complied.

“In cases like this, we would try not to be too hostile and try to be in his place,” added Nat, who asked to be identified by a pseudonym.

“I wish I could tell them to relax a little bit, but unfortunately the law is the law.”

However, he estimates that “95 to 97 percent” of people who violate the regulations would immediately comply when approached. The others CNA Insider spoke to agreed: Most of the people they reach out to are cooperatives.

‘PLEASE DON’T FUCK ME

All four are immediately identifiable as they walk through their assigned areas: Nat wearing a white polo shirt and drawstring; Chow with red bracelet and cord; and Tay and Tan in red polo shirts.

This, they said, has made them cautious about the scrutiny they receive from the public. “We all have very high self-awareness,” said Tan.

We remind each other to put on a mask, even when we take breaks in our break rooms and don’t eat.

He also makes sure to keep a safe distance from his teammate while on patrol, which he said was not instinctive at first.

“When you go out with a colleague, you tend to walk closer,” he said. “So we really try to separate, and have one person walk in front and the other behind.”

In general, Nat said, people look at them curiously. Some people ask where it is from and why it is there, while others are suspicious or seem “slightly unhappy” that they are being “monitored”.

Once, he recalled, when he approached a group of older people, and before he could open his mouth, they leaped with their hands in the air when one of them exclaimed, “Please don’t catch me!”

“I learned never to approach people from behind,” Nat said, laughing.

Another incident that amused him happened when he was off duty and had entered a fast food restaurant to buy dinner without changing his uniform.

“The moment I walked in, the manager yelled into the kitchen to remind everyone to put on the mask,” he said.

Tay also finds it amusing that the older regulars he meets on his patrols have given his team a nickname for the color of their polo shirts.

“They say the” red ants “will come when they see us,” he said. “I enjoy the nickname.”

For her, it is a sign of the relationship she has with people she regularly meets, and a sign that they “know what they are supposed to do.”

“The mood is definitely different,” he said. “If they know they have done the right thing, they don’t have to be afraid that we will walk.”

INCREASED AWARENESS OF REGULATIONS

Over the weeks, the four CNA Insider they spoke with observed that people took the situation more seriously and were generally more aware of the regulations.

“In the beginning, there were a lot of people inside the market and they were crowding at the stalls to collect their products,” Chow said.

But now, they would stand in line … Even the street vendors would help guide us to keep a safe distance from each other.

On Tay’s part, seeing the elders do their best to comply with the regulations is “very encouraging” and one of the “greatest satisfactions” of their work. “They are slowly improving,” he said.

She is encouraged by the fact that being on the ground has turned out to be more enjoyable than she expected.

“When I signed up, I told my family that they were going to scold and criticize me,” he said. “Anyway, we have very thick skin.

“But so far, we haven’t had very rude or rude people knock on wood.”

In fact, she has encountered random acts of kindness, she said, such as people offering them snacks or herbal tea while they make their rounds.

The same goes for Chow. Sellers have offered him bottled water and even a surgical mask when a vendor saw him wearing a reusable mask.

He also recounted an incident in which an older man approached and encouraged him after witnessing a patron scolding him for presenting crowd control measures.

“I was touched by your concern,” he said. “It motivates us to do our job.”

Another source of motivation is their families. Tay, for example, was initially concerned about the possibility of being exposed to the coronavirus, but her husband and two children encouraged her to move on, who told her not to worry.

“They made fun of me,” he said. “They said things like, ‘Since you like to talk, you better go out and talk instead of messing around at home’ … and ‘When you come back at night, we’ll have a meal ready for you.'”

She admitted that she misses being a tour guide, telling stories about Singapore, and meeting people from all over the world who are excited to learn about this country.

But then he thought of his family, the improvements he had seen on the ground, and most of all, he said, being part of a national effort to eliminate the virus.

“I am proud,” she added. “Very proud.”