Misbehaving in Public: 5 Things You Need to Know

Public order laws are meant to protect public tranquility, and respecting these laws goes a long way in ensuring peace and stability in Singapore. Nevertheless, public order offences do occur from time to time. This article discusses 5 common public order offences in Singapore.

1. Causing a Public Nuisance

A public nuisance is committed when a person causes common injury, danger or annoyance to the public or people in the vicinity. For example, a person gathering a crowd in a public space and generally causing an obstruction to human and vehicular traffic would amount to causing a public nuisance.

In September 2024, four men, aged between 32 and 44, were charged with allegedly causing public nuisance as well as using abusive language against Police officers. The Police officers were preserving a murder crime scene along Sam Leong Road when the four men approached the cordoned-off area and attempted to cross it. They were advised to proceed via an alternative route. However, three of the men then allegedly taunted and used abusive language against the officers, while the fourth man purportedly filmed the interactions with his mobile phone. The four men eventually left via the alternative route.

The offence carries an imprisonment term of up to 3 months and/or a fine of up to $2,000. This offence may be committed when a person gathers a crowd and generally causes annoyance in the neighbourhood or obstruction to the traffic in a public place.

2. Fighting in Public (Affray)

The offence of affray is committed where two or more persons disturb the public peace by fighting in a public place.

As the offence targets the disturbance of public peace, there does not need to be direct, tangible harm such as injury before an act of affray is found to be committed. This offence aims to maintain public peace so as to preserve the quality of life and security of people in the neighbourhood.

In October 2024, 3 warrant officers with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) were each handed an affray charge after they were caught fighting at a KTV lounge shortly after 8pm. The trio had consumed alcohol before the brawl occurred, resulting in toppled tables and broken drinking glasses. They were sentenced to fines ranging from $1,000 to $2,500.

This offence is punishable with a maximum sentence of one year’s imprisonment, a fine of up to $5,000, or both.

3. Disorderly Behaviour in Public

A person commits the offence of disorderly behaviour when they exhibit annoying or insulting behaviour in any public place, place of public amusement or resort, or in or nearby any court, public office, police station or place of worship. This offence is punishable under section 20 of the Miscellaneous Offences (Public Order and Nuisance) Act.

In November 2022, a 52-year-old woman was charged with various offences for her actions during a court hearing in August 2021. The woman was seated in the public gallery at the State Courts during a trial and had been asked to step out of a courtroom to adjust her mask, which was askew. She then used insulting words towards a District Judge of the State Courts by shouting “This is [a] ridiculous kangaroo court”, “if the kangaroo court requires me to wear a mask” and “I do not respect the judge”. Among the charges faced, she was charged with behaving in a disorderly manner in the courtroom.

If convicted, offenders face a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $2,000, or both.

4. Abusing a Public Servant 

A public servant serves the public’s interest and are protected by the law in the discharge of their responsibilities. Any acts – including verbal and physical acts – committed to prevent them from discharging their duties is punishable by law.

Some of the offences against public servants include:

(a) Threatening, abusing or insulting a public servant or public service worker: section 6 of the Protection from Harassment Act

A person who speaks, behaves or communicates in any indecent, threatening, abusive or insulting manner towards a public servant or public service worker when he or she is executing his duty is guilty of an offence, punishable with a maximum sentence of 12 months’ imprisonment, a fine not exceeding $5,000, or both.

In the earlier case involving the woman who was charged with disorderly behaviour in public, she also faced a charge of using insulting words towards a public servant, which is punishable under Section 6(3) of the Protection from Harassment Act. However, as she was previously convicted and sentenced in April 2014 to a mandatory treatment order for committing a similar offences, she was liable for enhanced punishment under Section 8(1)(d) of the Protection from Harassment Act.

(b) Using criminal force to deter a public servant from discharge of his duty: section 353 of the Penal Code

A person who assaults or uses criminal force to a public servant in the execution of his or her duty or with an intention of preventing or deterring the public servant from discharging his or her duty, or in consequence of anything done or attempted to be done by the public servant in the lawful discharge of his or her duty, is guilty of this offence. This offence is punishable with a maximum sentence of four years’ imprisonment, or with fine, or with both.

In December 2023, a 33-year-old man and 38-year-old woman were charged for using criminal force as well as abusive and insulting language against two National Environmental Agency (NEA) enforcement officers at Orchard Link. The NEA officers were carrying out their enforcement rounds in the vicinity of Orchard Link when they spotted the duo smoking at a non-smoking area. They proceeded to stop them and issued them a summon for their actions. During the engagement, the man allegedly hurled abusive and insulting language at the officers, tapped one of the officer’s body-worn camera, and pulled on the said officer’s lanyard. The woman purportedly pushed the hand of the other officer and attempted to touch his face.

(c) Voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty: section 332 of the Penal Code

A person who voluntarily causes hurt to a public servant in the discharge of his or her duty or with an intention of preventing or deterring a public servant from discharging their duty is guilty of an offence. This offence is punishable with a maximum sentence of seven years’ imprisonment, or with a combination of imprisonment, fine, and/or caning.

In November 2023, a 72-year-old was sentenced to a total of nine years and eight months’ jail after pleading guilty to a number of charges, including voluntarily causing hurt to deter a public servant from his duty as well as using criminal force on a public servant. The offender had refused to wear his mask properly on a bus at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic – when mask-wearing on public transport was mandated by law to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus – and slapped and punched the bus driver who had locked the bus doors.

In a separate incident, he had threatened to kill two police officers, and ended up burning one of them with a lit cigarette when they were subduing him while trying to arrest him.

5. Being Drunk in Public 

Under section 14 of the Liquor Control (Supply and Consumption) Act, a person who is drunk (i.e. when it is reasonable to believe that their speech, balance, co‑ordination or behaviour is noticeably affected as a result of consumption of liquor) and incapable of taking care of himself or herself in a public place is guilty of committing an offence.

For a first-time offender, this offence is punishable with a maximum sentence of one month’s imprisonment and/or a fine of up to $1,000 or both. A drunk person who appears in a public place or trespasses into any place and causes annoyance to any person is also guilty of an offence, punishable with a maximum sentence of six months’ imprisonment, a fine of up to $1,000, or both for a first-time offender. You can read more about Singapore’s drinking laws in our other article.