Iskandar Ibrahim
Singapore Civil Defence Force

Wrongly accused of theft while carrying out their duties, Paramedic Staff Sergeant (SSgt) Iskandar Ibrahim and his ambulance crew responded with tact and professionalism. Their exemplary conduct eventually won praises from their accuser.

On 20 August 2004, SSgt Iskandar and his crew received an emergency call from a staff of a plastics factory in Marsiling. A man had fallen off the back of a truck. Within minutes, the ambulance crew arrived at the scene and rushed the man to the nearest hospital.

Concerned, the injured man's boss, Mr Tan (not his real name), also hurried to the hospital to see his injured staff. Upon arriving at the hospital, Mr Tan was told that his staff's wallet was missing.

Suspecting that the ambulance crew had taken it as they were the only ones who had accompanied his staff to the hospital, Mr Tan confronted SSgt Iskandar. He said his staff was very certain the ambulance crew had pocketed the wallet.

Although taken aback, SSgt Iskandar calmly and politely denied stealing it, but Mr Tan did not believe him. By that time, a crowd had started to gather and tension was building up.

Under those embarrassing and pressurising circumstances, the crew gave their full cooperation to Mr Tan, who conducted a body search on them and also thoroughly searched the ambulance.

Explaining his response, SSgt Iskandar said: "If I were to resist, an unwanted argument might have taken place. That would not help in finding the missing wallet. That would also give the whole Force a bad image."

Two hours after SSgt Iskandar and his crew had left the hospital to attend to other emergency cases, the patient told Mr Tan that he recalled leaving his wallet at the factory premises.

Mr Tan subsequently sent an apology letter to SSgt Iskandar and his crew. He wrote that they did not show any signs of unhappiness or impatience but conducted the search in earnest to convince him of their innocence. He also complimented them for their honesty, maturity and professionalism.

Said SSgt Iskandar: "I felt relieved and thankful that the issue had ended there. It was worth the effort of staying calm in the ordeal."

Sharing his thoughts on the importance of integrity, SSgt Iskandar added: "Integrity is vital to our line of work. It will determine how the public perceives us, whether they can trust us. Without integrity, others will always doubt our work."

— Contributed by Jessye Lim, SCDF