Police roadblocks and vehicle stops in Singapore
What drivers can expect at a Singapore Police Force roadblock, and what the Road Traffic Act says about police vehicle stops and officer identification.
Primary source: https://www.police.gov.sg/-/media/F67FFF37D5104DD0B38F03E9CD46DF1E.ashx
Why SPF conducts roadblocks
The Singapore Police Force (SPF) says roadblocks may be used to control the movement of vehicles and people to maintain law and order, including to stop drivers for traffic offences; to detect criminals and wanted persons; and to deter crime in specific areas with higher crime rates (SPF, Roadblocks).
What drivers should expect
SPF advises drivers to slow down when they see a roadblock and follow officers’ hand signals and instructions. At the stopping point, drivers will be asked to switch off the engine and provide an identification document. If officers wave a driver through, the driver may proceed. If they direct the driver to pull over, SPF says to park on the left, switch off the engine and alight safely. Motorcyclists asked to undergo further checks should switch off the engine, dismount and push the motorcycle to the left shoulder (SPF, Roadblocks).
In the same guide’s separate section on police spot-checks, SPF says it is not an offence not to carry an identity card. If a person provides particulars verbally, officers may request another photograph-bearing document, such as a driving licence or work permit, to verify identity (SPF, Roadblocks and spot-checks).
During further checks, SPF says officers may ask questions, conduct a breath analyser test, and search the vehicle in the driver’s presence. SPF says drivers may continue their journey after officers determine that everything is in order. It advises the public to cooperate and warns that evading a roadblock can seriously endanger the driver and other road users. SPF’s page states that a person convicted of evading a roadblock is liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 7 years, or both (SPF, Roadblocks).
Road Traffic Act vehicle-stop and identification rules
Separately from SPF’s roadblock procedure, section 127 of the Road Traffic Act allows a police officer in uniform to stop a motor vehicle if its driver has committed, or is suspected of having committed, an offence under the Act or its rules. A driver must stop when required by the officer. For a vehicle-licence examination, the section also allows a uniformed police officer to stop a motor vehicle; a Registrar or an officer authorised in writing by the Registrar may stop other vehicles for that purpose, on producing the written authority when required (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 127).
If a police officer acts against a person under the Act while not in uniform, section 128 requires the officer, on demand, to state their office and produce the identification card directed to be carried by police officers. The section says a person does not commit an offence by refusing a request, demand or order from a non-uniformed officer who fails to do both on demand (Singapore Statutes Online, Road Traffic Act 1961, s. 128).
Coverage debt
SPF’s roadblock page describes its operational steps but does not set out the legal basis or limits for every possible search or breath analyser test. This article does not infer those limits from the general vehicle-stop provisions above.