SINGAPORE — The police detained two men after their car knocked down an officer from the traffic police during a chase. The men were trying to flee from a roadblock.

Traffic police officers were patrolling near Upper Paya Lebar Road around 9.50am on Thursday (Oct 28) when they signalled for a driver to stop his vehicle along the roadside to conduct a check.

Instead of complying with instructions, the driver sped off to evade the check, leading the officers to give chase, the police said in a statement on the same day.

The pursuit then came to a halt when the driver encountered traffic and one of the officers managed to move ahead and stop the car.

However, the driver suddenly reversed and crashed into another officer who was riding a motorcycle. The officer was thrown off the motorbike and sustained minor injuries.

The whole scene of the crash was captured on a nearby vehicle’s dashboard camera and uploaded online. The video has since gone viral.

It shows the driver speeding off again in the opposite direction after ramming into the officer on the bike.

A 34-year-old male passenger in the car was later detained and arrested for using criminal force against a public servant and suspected drug-related offences.

The male driver tried to flee on foot but was detained after a manhunt operation. Police investigations are ongoing into the incident. 

Posting on his Facebook page on Thursday evening, Associate Professor Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Minister of State for Home Affairs, identified the injured officer as Senior Staff Sergeant (SSSgt) Haidil Osman. He added that he had spoken to SSSgt Haidil following the incident and was glad to know he was all right.

The job of traffic police officers is risky and “danger lurks on every street as they are unable to read the intentions of motorists until it is too late”, Assoc Prof Faishal said. 

At the same time, their motorbikes offer little protection and officers have to depend on their training, experience and instincts to get out of harm’s way, he added.

Noting that other traffic police officers, too, have been injured in the past while performing their jobs, he said: “They take the risk of their work in their stride, and continue to patrol our roads to keep our roads safe. Their professionalism and dedication to work is truly admirable.”