A brief recapitulation:
A child was set upon by a predator who ran off after that. No one knew who the culprit was. Unk Dicko, despite being seriously incapacitated with right leg in a cast and on crutches and resting at home, reacted most speedily and decisively when he got wind of the crime.
After calling my very close RC friends and neighbours to meet me at the ground floor of my block, I briefed them...these citizen vigilantes...and they sprang into action, fanning out in the neighbourhood to hopefully locate and apprehend the culprit.
No policemen were involved in that immediate search attempt for 2 very good reasons:
1) It was only minutes after the crime and the culprit may still not be very far away. He may be overconfident thinking that the victim, being so young and already in a frightened state, could not possibly recall his looks or profile. Thus he might still be lurking around the estate...perhaps even looking for other potential victims.
2) I myself could have called 999....but decided not to. The presence of uniformed policemen would have frightened off the predator and he would have escaped..for CERTAINTY.
And with no evidence, no photo image of the culprit, chances of finding out who he was is like looking for a needle in a haystack., what more catching him.
And herein lies a lesson for all of us applicable even today.
Immediately, or as soon as a crime has been committed such as this, if someone nearby can step forward, uses his initiative, take charge and get others to react speedily and smartly as a team...and yes, do not wait for the 1 or 2 policemen to arrive and ask lots of questions, write them down etc...., you have a higher chance of apprehending the culprit.
Since my fellow RC members and other neighbours were all in ordinary civilian clothes, that did not arouse the suspicions of the predator when they spotted him, quietly moved in and caught hold of him tightly. He was several blocks away. My initial assumption re: the 2 points above , was proved 100% correct.
What happened to the predator we caught?
My RC Com members led by the late Mr TC Lee and Mr H K Chia ( see photo below ) physically escorted the culprit, a youth age about 17+, to his home in a nearby Block.
The late Mr T C Lee - my close friend, neighbour and
RC Com member, T Payoh in the late 70's.
The home of the predator was also a 3 Room flat much like ours. He lived with his parents and other family members. He was unemployed and a school dropout awaiting for NS.
The parents, seeing the party at his front door, asked Mr Lee and the others what the problem was. In a gentle and civilised manner, they advised the parents to sit down while Mr Lee asked the culprit to confess what he had done to his parents. The youth blurted out that he had done something very wrong but with no details.
The late Mr Chia Hung Kee - a dear friend, close neighbour
and RC Com member of T Payoh, late 70's.
The father yelled at the son and asked him to speak up. He did not do so, already embarassed and now quite fearful.
So, the details of his cowardly act were related to the parents and family in his presence. Predator no longer had that tough, samseng look about him now...in fact cowering in a corner.
The father inquired whether the police had been called yet. When told, " not yet, but the victim's family may report". He pleaded with the party for just this one single chance to let his son go and that he will "inflict his own punishment" on his son for bringing GREAT SHAME to his family, his ancestors and even to his RACE. The father was raging mad.
According to the party who related everything to me at my home later ( I did not follow them as it was too tiresome for me on crutches )... they were present when the enraged father caught hold of his samseng son and hammered him with solid chops, punches and kicks. They tried to stop the terrible beating that predator was receiving. But the father pushed him into the bathroom and locked him inside.
Father came out and apologised to the party assuring everyone that he will SHAME his son. And that he wanted them to convey his apologies to the victim's family...but he needed to deal with his son first.
When my friends came to relate what had happened to Predator and mentioned the father's request not to call the police... I did not have to think hard what to do. I knew what HAD to be done. I called the police myself giving them the details of crime committed and the alleged attacker and his address.
WHY did I call the police? WHY not give him a chance and let him off?
The reasons were:
1. I had no clues nor info whether this Predator had committed only this particular crime.
He could have had a string of crimes and offences but was lucky and had not been caught yet.
He could be wanted for other offences and crimes.
2. If he's reported, his particulars will go into files for further action, reference or investigation.
Even if eventually, the family does not want to press charges, Predator and what he had done would be known to the police. His full particulars and other details will remain in files...and if he should re-offend again, these earlier details will help nail him for good.
The police went to Predator's home to interview him and take him away for questioning.
The parents again pleaded with " my party" who were there..to forgive his now not so tough scumbag of a son.
My friends told me on this 2nd visit on the same day...that Predator had been shaved bald by his angry father and looked like a "meatball that had been kicked out of shape". He suffered severely at the hands of his father.
On hearing all this, and I trusted my friends fully, I advised victim's mother and family not to press charges against Predator...thus sparing their family and especially the young victim a great deal of endless wasted time, tooing and froing, questioning and PAIN. I felt a sense of great compassion for Predator's family especially his father. If only fathers today can act in similar ways...our samseng population will drop overnight!
Over those years, Unk Dicko had never seen that Predator again. I would like to believe that no news is good news and he must have kept himself on the straight and narrow.
Much good has come out from all our combined actions in this instance.
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