Pat-downs by male officers on women to be done with ‘strict regard to decency’

SINGAPORE: The police will put in place strict standard operating procedures to ensure that any searches conducted by male officers on women will be done with “strict regard to decency”, said Senior Minister of State for Law Indranee Rajah on Monday (Mar 19).

Member of Parliament Louis Ng had earlier sought clarification on a new amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code and Evidence Act, which allows a male police or immigration officer to search a woman suspected of being involved in a terrorist act in specific circumstances.

Mr Ng said this move had “created a fair amount of concern amongst members of the public” and questioned the rationale for departing “from the current status quo where a woman is searched by a woman”.

Ms Indranee said in response: “There is a well-recorded history of the use of women in terror attacks. Some have been coerced into this role but others have volunteered.”

Between 1985 and 2008, female suicide bombers carried out more than 230 attacks – about a quarter of all such acts, Ms Indranee noted. She highlighted the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who was killed by a 17-year-old girl in a suicide bomb attack in 1991. The suicide bomber was a member of the Tamil Tigers.

“Female suicide bombers deployed by Boko Haram have killed more than 1,225 people. Research suggests that terror groups use female attackers to gain specific tactical advantages. This includes a perceived unwillingness on the part of security officers to search women.

“In Iraq, Al-Qaeda repeatedly exploited a cultural taboo against the searching of women, allowing their female suicide bombers to pass through checkpoints without being searched,” Ms Indranee added.

“So, it really is about striking a balance. In our case as mentioned, male officers will only be allowed to search a woman in very narrowly defined circumstances,” she said.

These circumstances dictate that the officer must reasonably suspect that the woman is involved in a terrorist act, that the officer believes in good faith that the terrorist act is imminent, and that the search cannot be made within a reasonable time by a relevant officer who is a woman.

“The rationale, as explained, is that time is of the essence in such situations and it’s where any delay could mean a loss of lives,” Ms Indranee said.