Hi,
Wondering if anyone know what is procedure if someone got arrested for AWOL?
So far 1 week passed, no news from SAF at all. Even parents was not informed.
They only got to know about the arrest after making missing person police report.
Is there any contact we can find out more information?
The SAF Military Police Command
Contact info, for getting in touch with
us:
By Telephone
MP Command Ops Centre: (+65) 6424-6444
SAFDB Records Office: (+65) 6424-6666
Military Police Training School: (+65) 6424-6602
SAF Detention Barracks
1. Are the detainees being medically taken care of?
Primary health care of detainees is of utmost importance to us. All detainees will be given adequate medical care during their incarceration. Our medical services are also supported by the Tengah Airbase Medical Centre, NUH and also Changi General Hospital if the need arises.
2. Can I write a letter to a detainee?
Yes.
3. I have just received a Visit Notification Letter, but the schedule visit date stated therein has already lapsed. How can I visit the detainee?
You can contact the Records Office at 6424 6666 to arrange for another appointment date.
4. Can anyone besides the parent unit of the detainees pick up the detainee on the day of their release?
At no time shall the detainee/military prisoner be released from the detention barracks/military prison as the case may be, to his family or any other party.
5.. Can the detainee write letters while serving detention in Detention Barracks?
Every detainee and military prisoner shall be allowed to write one letter per week.
6. What are the visiting days and what is the duration of the visit?
Visiting days are on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the first appointment starts from 1.30pm and ends at 3.00pm. Visitors are allowed to visit the detainee for 30 minutes.
7. How many visits is the serviceman entitled to?
Each serviceman is entitled to one visit per week.
8. What happens if the family members can't turn up on the date specified for their first visit?
The family members can call Records Office of SAF Detention Barracks at 6424 6666 and arrange for another date and time.
9. What is the dress code of the family members when they come for parent visit?
The family must wear appropriately when they come for parent visit. SAF Detention Barracks will send a slip indicating the dress code together with the parent-visiting letter.
The SAF Military Police Command
Contact info, for getting in touch with us:
By Telephone
MP Command Ops Centre: (+65) 6424-6444
SAFDB Records Office: (+65) 6424-6666
Military Police Training School: (+65) 6424-6602
By Email @ [email protected]
Source: www.ns.sg
Military Justice System in the SAF
1. Overview
The military justice system in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is expected to treat every service personnel fairly and equally, regardless of race, rank or vocation.
2. Multi-levelled Approach
The military justice system is based on the SAF Act, which was implemented in 1972. All servicemen are subjected to the SAF Act, SAF Regulations, and orders of whatever form issued pursuant to them.
While discipline is paramount in the military, not all offences committed by SAF servicemen are dealt with by formal investigations and charges. Essentially, offenders can be dealt with either by way of informal or formal punishment systems.
3. Informal Punishment System
Commanders are empowered to mete out informal punishments like push-ups and weekend confinement to servicemen who have committed disciplinary breaches, like being late, sluggish, or improperly dressed.
4. Formal Punishment System
If the offence that a serviceman committed is of a more serious nature, he may be formally dealt with by his disciplinary officer by way of a summary trial, or brought before a subordinate military court (more commonly known as the General Court Martial or GCM).
(a) Summary Trial
The offences that can be dealt with by summary trial are essentially military offences, such as absence without leave (AWOL), non-compliance with lawful orders or insubordination.
Depending on the rank of the serviceman in question, and the type of the disciplinary body hearing the case, the possible sentences that may be imposed can vary, and these can include fines or detention.
The summary trial is carried out in accordance with relevant SAF regulations, and the records of the summary trial are sent to the office of the Director, Legal Services of the SAF.
(b) General Court Martial
The General Court Martial exists as a separate forum from that of the summary trial. Unlike the summary trial, the GCM can deal with a wider range of offences, and can impose a wider range of punishments including imprisonment and discharge, on top of sentences like detention and fines. The GCM is also a more public and open forum, and its proceedings are conducted using similar legal rules and procedures as those used in a civil criminal court.
Generally, only serious offences investigated by the Military Police Command, and which are referred to the office of the Director of Legal Services, will result in the accused serviceman being charged in a GCM. In such a case, a military prosecutor will draw up a formal charge sheet and present it before the GCM.
General Courts Martial can be further sub-divided into two categories, namely the Panel Courts Martial - consisting of a President and usually two other members, and Judge Courts Martial - consisting of a single President only.
Currently, the practice is for military offences to be heard by Panel Courts Martial, while civil offences like misuse of drugs and penal code offences may be dealt with by a Judge Court Martial.
The current policy is also for an NSman, who is or was a District Judge in the Subordinate Courts, to preside in a GCM. There are currently 10 NSmen who have been appointed by the Armed Forces Council to perform duty as President of a court martial. They are rostered by the Registrar of the Subordinate Military Court to hear cases during their in-camp training. In the case of a Panel Court Martial, the other two members are rostered from among some 155 military officers appointed by the Chief of Defence Force.
5. Ways to Seek Redress
There are numerous safeguards and avenues set out in the military justice system for an SAF serviceman to seek redress if he is unhappy about the punishment imposed on him.
Generally, a serviceman who is dissatisfied with an informal punishment meted out to him may request a higher level commander to review the punishment, or request for formal disciplinary dealing.
In the case of a summary trial, a serviceman brought before the disciplinary officer may elect instead to be tried by a court martial. Alternatively, an aggrieved serviceman may request that his conviction or punishment imposed at the summary trial be reviewed by MINDEF's Director Manpower (a delegated authority of the Armed Forces Council).
In the case of a GCM, a serviceman may choose to be represented by a lawyer or an SAF defending officer if his case will be heard by a court martial. The SAF has about 200 trained defending officers. While an SAF defending officer comes free to the serviceman, he has to bear the cost of engaging a lawyer. At the end of the trial, a serviceman who is dissatisfied with the decision of the court martial may petition the Reviewing Authority (the AFC or a committee of its members) for a review of his case. The serviceman can also appeal to the Military Court of Appeal (MCA) for a reconsideration of his conviction, or his sentence, or both.
The MCA, when convened to hear an appeal, sits as a panel of five members. Heading the MCA is a President, who is appointed by the Chief Justice. By law, he must be a person qualified to be a Judge of the Supreme Court. The current President of the MCA is Justice Choo Han Teck. Four other members - two civilian members who are qualified legal practitioners with at least five years experience each, and two senior military officers - make up the rest of the MCA. The MCA is the highest court in the military justice system.
6. Impartial Hearings
It is important to recognise that the GCM and the MCA are tribunals headed by presidents who are outside the SAF chain of command.
Being an "outsider", the president of these forums will hear the case impartially like any other civil criminal case. The proceedings in the GCM and the MCA are also heard in a public forum, and these military courts adopt many of the same legal procedures and safeguards as that used in the civil criminal courts. All servicemen formally charged with an offence can bring their case to these forums.
Thanks all for the info.