SHOULD PEOPLE HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE POOR CHOICES?
The move, however, could be criticised for not allowing people to exercise personal responsibility, said lawyer Mark Yeo, who was also on the podcast.
On the other hand, it could protect the elderly in particular, who may be ripped off of everything they have, he said.
“The sum of money that is being scammed out of them tends to be entire life savings and once that happens, then society has to pick up the pieces when suddenly they need social services support,” said the director at Fortress Law Corporation.
“The community aspect of it – you feel the need to protect them a little bit from themselves.”
In March this year, an 82-year-old man who was targeted by scammers three times in less than two months averted a loss of S$3.7 million following the intervention of the authorities and banks.
Despite its potential benefits, Mr Yeo noted it appears that in the proposed bill, all the power rests within the police force as appeals will also be handled by them.
“I’m not sure in practice how often (the appeals process) will be used, or whether it will be an effective check, given that it’s the police checking the police’s own actions. So there is that concern,” he said.
He pointed out, however, that having a separate body to handle appeals, like the court, could compromise any ongoing investigations by the police.
