Man Caught On Video Abusing Condo Security Officer

The owner and resident of a unit at the Eight Riversuites condominiums in Singapore, worth about 1.5 million Singapore dollars, was recorded on a video arguing with a security guard over a S$10 ($7.34) parking fee for one of his guests. The video has gone viral over the weekend because of the strong, abusive language used by the resident.

In the video, the owner, an ex-pat who referred to himself as Ramesh, took issue with the guard over a rule by the condo management that visitors who remain in the parking area after 11:00 p.m. must pay a S$10 fee. The guest had arrived at 10:30 p.m. to either visit Ramesh or pick him up so they could attend Deepavali, a Hindu festival, celebrations in late October.

The audio on the video shows the guard asking what time the visitor was going to leave, to which the resident raised a question about guests who visit after 11:00 p.m. At one point, Ramesh said, “I bought your f---ing property for S$1.5 million, you know? This is S$1.5 million, okay?”

When the guard informed Ramesh that he would inform management of the situation the reply was, “Tell the management to f--- off.” At the end of the video, the resident gets into the car with his friend and they exit out of view of the camera.

The response to the video was swift to support the security officer and condemn the behavior of the resident. Raj Joshua Thomas, president of the security association of Singapore confirmed that the security officer had made a police report.

Thomas also said, “In the event that security officers are lenient in enforcing in-house rules, the security agency is often penalized through onerous liquidated damages.” He also called for security officers to be treated as public service workers under the Protection from Harassment Act (POHA) that currently covers only those public service workers in public hospitals or government institutions.

POHA guidelines for those who abuse or insult public service workers call for a jail term of up to a year, fines up to S$5,000 ($3,667) or both. In comparison, those who harass members of the public can be jailed for up to six months, fined up to S$5,000 or both.

Ramesh may also face some repercussions from his employer, JP Morgan. People viewing the video identified him as an employee of the multinational investment bank. A spokesperson for JP Morgan said Sunday, “We are aware of the video and are looking into it. We will not be making further comment at this time.”

A British expatriate in Singapore said she would usually tell her visitors coming over at a late hour to either park in nearby public housing estates or take a cab. “If you do not want to spend S$10, park nearby and walk over. It will not kill you,” she added.