Reform Party chief Kenneth Jeyaretnam has been issued his 10th correction direction under the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA), following online statements about the employment and role of foreign auxiliary police officers (APOs).
The directive, issued on 21 March 2025 by Josephine Teo, Minister for Communications and Information and Second Minister for Home Affairs, was in response to claims published by Mr Jeyaretnam on his website and on social media platforms Facebook and X on 9 March.
In his posts, Mr Jeyaretnam alleged that foreign APOs would be used by the government as “mercenaries” to maintain political control, and that they had the same powers as regular police officers, including the authority to arrest and detain citizens.
He also suggested that APO salaries were intentionally kept low to discourage Singaporeans from applying, thereby facilitating the hiring of foreign officers whom he claimed would be more loyal to the government than to the public.
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) refuted these claims in a press release, calling them false and misleading.
MHA clarified that under the Police Force Act 2004, the powers of APOs are conferred by the Commissioner of Police. APOs do not possess the full range of powers held by regular police officers.
Specifically, they do not have investigative powers under Part IV of the Criminal Procedure Code, and their power of arrest is subject to conditions not applicable to regular officers.
Furthermore, MHA stated that the powers of APOs may only be exercised when they are on official duty and in the course of their designated responsibilities.
The ministry also emphasised that APOs—whether local or foreign—are not employed by the government. Instead, they are employed by auxiliary police forces (APFs), which are separate entities and not part of the public sector.
According to MHA, the security functions that APFs are permitted to provide are carefully regulated by the Singapore Police Force (SPF). All APOs are legally obliged to adhere to Singapore’s laws, including the Constitution and those concerning fundamental liberties.
“These measures collectively prevent abuse of power by APFs and APOs, and ensure that they serve Singapore’s legitimate security needs,” the ministry said.
In response to the claim about APO salaries, MHA stated that these are determined independently by the APFs and not by the government. APOs do not belong to any union or tripartite alliance in which the government is involved, and the government does not influence their remuneration.
MHA also noted that as at end-January 2025, Singaporeans still made up the majority of APOs, and the proportion of officers from the newer foreign sources—China, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka—remained low, at around 3%.
Certis Cisco, AETOS, and SATS—companies that employ the majority of auxiliary police officers (APOs) in Singapore—are either wholly owned by, or have significant shareholding from, Temasek Holdings.
The correction direction requires Mr Jeyaretnam to append correction notices to his posts, linking to the government’s official clarifications on the matter.
A check on 21 March indicated that these correction notices had not yet been added to his website or his Facebook and X accounts.
Mr Jeyaretnam has been the subject of multiple correction directions in the past.
On 14 March 2025, he was issued his ninth POFMA direction over a Facebook post alleging that the government manipulates land supply and immigration policy to drive up Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat prices and increase Singapore’s reserves.
The Ministry of Finance had responded then by stating that Mr Jeyaretnam remains overseas and has not returned to Singapore to account for his statements.
His social media accounts and website were designated as “Declared Online Locations” under POFMA in December 2023. That designation remains in effect until 11 December 2025.
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