Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many arrests have been made last year for attempted suicides; (b) whether police officers making these arrests are trained to follow any specific protocol or approach which differs from arrests for other offences; and (c) whether the Ministry will consider having police suicide prevention practices that do not involve arrests.

Mr K Shanmugam (MHA): It has been a criminal offence to attempt suicide. It was thought to be important that society should oppose people taking their own lives. In practice, prosecutions are rare.

Police officers try to respond to cases of attempted suicide with sensitivity and compassion. Persons who attempt suicide are emotionally and psychologically distressed. When responding to such cases, Police's priority is to ensure the person's safety. Police officers try to look out for signs of suicidal tendencies, and take this into consideration in their response.

As regards arrests, Police arrest persons for cases of attempted suicide usually to prevent them from doing harm, either to themselves or to others. When it is assessed that there is no such risk, they may not be arrested. It is on this basis that 837 persons were taken into custody for attempting suicide, out of 1096 cases of attempted suicide reported in 2015. However, only two of them were eventually prosecuted.

For all cases of attempted suicide, Police will recommend the appropriate follow-up. Police may refer the person to the Samaritans of Singapore for counselling, or engage the next-of-kin to assist in supporting and caring for the person. If there are clear signs indicating possible mental instability, Police may refer the person to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for an assessment of the person's mental state. If deemed necessary by medical professionals, the person may subsequently be warded at IMH for care and treatment.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Actions against Persons for Attempted Suicides in 2015

Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs of the 837 persons taken into custody for attempted suicide in 2015 (a) what have been the specific measures used to arrest them; (b) how many have been placed in lock-up and for how long on average; (c) whether any investigations have been conducted to look into the actual impact of these measures on their well-being; and (d) how many of these persons have been referred to Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) and Institute of Mental Health (IMH) respectively.

Mr K Shanmugam (MHA): Police officers are trained to respond to cases of attempted suicide with sensitivity and compassion. Persons who attempt suicide are emotionally and psychologically distressed. When responding to such cases, Police’s priority is to ensure the person’s safety. Police officers will look out for signs of suicidal tendencies, and what actions to take. Police usually arrest persons for attempting suicide in order to prevent them from doing harm, either to themselves or to others. In these cases, the Police officers will make an assessment and apply handcuffs when there is a need to ensure the safety of the person, the escorting officers or members of public in the vicinity; or to prevent the person from absconding.

For persons taken into custody, depending on their condition, they may be taken to the Police station for investigation, sent to the hospitals directly for medical treatment, referred to the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) for psychiatric treatment, or to the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) for counselling. Police do not maintain data on the number of persons referred to the IMH, or to the SOS. However, only two out of 1096 cases of attempted suicide reported in 2015 were eventually prosecuted. The purpose of arrest is primarily to ensure that the person receives the appropriate help, and not to bring charges. For persons who are brought back to the Police station, Police will not detain them longer than is necessary to investigate the case and to process the necessary referrals. The actual duration of detention depends on the circumstances of each case.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Criminalisation of Suicides

(Supplementary Question) Louis: Thank you, Madam. I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Can I check whether this policy is cast in stone or whether the MHA will consider reviewing it with the view of decriminalising attempted suicide?

Mr Desmond Lee: Madam, the Ministry is prepared to review the position, but in so doing, we must recognise that this is not a straightforward exercise. We need to make sure that we do not inadvertently send the signal that we no longer believe that it is wrong to take one's own life.

We also do not want a situation where law enforcement agencies and emergency services which respond to a crisis situation where a person is attempting to take his life, in that very delicate situation, you want to make sure that those emergency services have the power and the ability to respond and to intervene. And subsequently, to have the appropriate powers to provide support to make the necessary referrals of the individual to the various help and medical services available. 

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

(Supplementary Question) Louis: Thank you, Madam. I just want to check with the Minister whether the teachers and the school counsellors have adequate training in mental health awareness and psychological first aid, especially awareness of the most common conditions like depression?

Mr Ng Chee Meng: I thank the Member for the question. The basic answer is yes to a basic level to be able to monitor signs of distress, from the teachers and the year head. For the counsellors, they will have a little bit more in-depth training.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Louis spoke up for mental health in the review of Criminal Law Reform Bill, highlighting the need to help rather than penalise those who attempt suicide.

Louis: Next, the Bill takes the progressive step of abolishing the offence of attempted suicide. This recognises that suicide attempts stem from deep-seated issues and a punitive approach may not be appropriate or sufficient in addressing them.

Beyond legislative reform, we can go further in addressing the needs of those who attempt suicide by ensuring that the authorities have the skills and resources to respond appropriately when these cases arise. Police officers are deployed when an attempted suicide case is reported. Police officers are trained in responding to emergency situations, but may not have sufficient training in handling the complex socio-emotional issues often associated with attempted suicide cases. There is considerable value in having trained professionals who can be at the scene to do any assessment on mental health or provide psychological interventions where necessary. Similar trials have been conducted in the United Kingdom.

I have four recommendations to make here.

First, will the Ministry look into improving the quality of response to attempted suicide by setting up a “specialist team with psychological first-aid training” that can be deployed when attempted suicide is reported?

Second, given that it may take time to train a specialist team, will the Minister consider deploying social workers, together with Police officers, when responding to attempted suicide cases? This would help ensure that there are experts on the scene who will be able to handle all aspects of the situation better.

Third, will the Ministry consider making it mandatory for frontline Police officers to undergo psychological first-aid training? This will ensure that the process is not as distressing for people who attempt suicide.

Finally, will the Ministry look into expanding the functions under the existing MyResponder app by SCDF for responding to attempted suicide cases? The MyResponder app works by notifying Community First Responders, who are members of the public trained in CPR or AED procedures, of nearby fire and medical cases. The app could similarly notify trained social workers or counsellors who are available and in close proximity to the scene of attempted suicide cases so that they can assist the Police with negotiation efforts.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

(Supplementary Question) Louis asked the Minister whether he can confirm that the tripartite guidelines or advisory will make clear that employers should not request for information on a person's mental health condition unless the condition has a direct connection with their ability to perform the job role.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad (for the Minister for Manpower): I thank the Member. The Tripartite Advisory has not been announced and I cannot confirm. But we will certainly look into it. I think, today, the practice is already in place and something we encourage strongly. Where the job does not require it, the employee does not need to declare it as part of his employment application. So, this is something that we need to hold strong, too. But look out for the advisory once it is out. But rest assured that we are looking at various areas in which we want to make sure that the well-being of our workers is well protected, both from the physical health as well as mental health states.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Review on Requiring Frontline Officers with the Singapore Police Force to Undergo Psychological First-aid Training

Louis asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the Ministry's review on requiring frontline officers with the Singapore Police Force to undergo psychological first-aid training to improve the quality of response to attempted suicides.

Mr K Shanmugam (MHA): Police completed a review of their training programme in February 2021 and assessed that the elements of psychological first-aid training in the programme are adequate for now. For instance, the training programme for frontline police officers, such as the Ground Response Forces, covers suicide intervention skills such as empathising with emotionally distressed individuals in order to be able to assist them appropriately.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)

Social Workers Trained in Suicide Interventions in Singapore Police Force's Crisis Negotiation Unit

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Home Affairs whether he can provide an update on the Ministry's review on requiring frontline officers with the Singapore Police Force to undergo psychological first-aid training to improve the quality of response to attempted suicides.

Mr K Shanmugam: Police completed a review of their training programme in February 2021 and assessed that the elements of psychological first-aid training in the programme are adequate for now. For instance, the training programme for frontline police officers, such as the Ground Response Forces, covers suicide intervention skills such as empathising with emotionally distressed individuals in order to be able to assist them appropriately.

Source: Hansard (Parliament of Singapore)