Man locks himself in Tampines flat after threatening wife, arrested for breach of Personal Protection Order
A 52-year-old man was arrested after allegedly threatening his wife and locking himself in their Tampines flat for nearly three hours with his wheelchair-bound father-in-law.
The incident took place around 3pm on Oct 28 at Block 845 Tampines Street 83.
According to readers who alerted Shin Min Daily News to the incident, several police and Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) vehicles were seen at the foot of the block.
Police officers later apprehended the man in the flat. The scene was described as tense, and it was later found that a domestic dispute had occurred in the unit.
Man locks himself in flat during domestic dispute
The man's wife, who appeared visibly shaken, told reporters that her husband's temper had worsened in recent years. The couple have been married for 17 years and have two children - a 16-year-old son and a four-year-old daughter.
She told Shin Min that the dispute began when her husband lost his temper and dragged her suitcase, which contained clothes and personal items, downstairs before throwing it away.
"He kept provoking me to fight and even threatened to kill me. I was terrified," she said.
Fearing for her safety, she took her daughter and ran to a neighbour's unit for help. The neighbour then called the police.
When officers arrived, the man had locked himself in the flat with the family's domestic helper and his father-in-law.
Police gain entry to unit
In response to queries from Stomp, the police confirmed that they were alerted at about 3.20pm.
"As it was assessed that the man might pose a danger to himself and the said family member, officers from the Special Operations Command, Crisis Negotiation Unit and Singapore Civil Defence Force responded to the incident," said the police.
Officers managed to enter the unit at around 6pm, after the man eventually relented and opened the door.
He was arrested for breaching a Personal Protection Order (PPO). Police investigations are ongoing.
SCDF said two safety air packs were deployed at the scene, and rescuers from the Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team were on standby.
Wife fears further harassment despite protection order
The wife said a protection order had been issued in 2022, preventing her husband from sharing a room with her. Since then, he had been sleeping in the living room while she stayed in the bedroom with their children.
She has now been informed that a domestic exclusion order will be issued to bar him from entering the flat, but she remains uneasy.
"Even though he's now in custody, he still has the house keys. I'm worried he might come back to threaten or harass us again," she said.
A neighbour, Mr Huang, a 70-year-old taxi driver, said the couple had been quarrelling frequently for the past five years.
"The police come almost every month," he said.
