A 37-year-old Singaporean man has been sentenced to 23 days in jail after repeatedly calling neighbourhood police centres (NPCs) more than 1,000 times over the course of nine days.
Foo Jia Hong made a total of 1,035 calls to four police centres between April 21 and April 29, 2026, with the calls reportedly made for “fun and enjoyment”.
The calls targeted the Yishun, Bedok, Geylang and Ang Mo Kio NPCs, with Yishun receiving the highest number at 425 calls. Bedok received 308, Geylang received 278 and Ang Mo Kio received another 24.
Foo was sentenced on Wednesday, August 26, after pleading guilty to one charge of voluntarily obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties. The charge related specifically to his calls to the Yishun NPC, while three similar offences involving the other police centres were taken into consideration during sentencing.
Man Remained Silent When Police Answered
According to court proceedings, Foo discovered a SIM card inside a second-hand mobile phone cover he purchased in Ang Mo Kio earlier this year.
He subsequently used the SIM card to repeatedly contact the NPCs. When officers answered the calls, Foo would remain silent instead of speaking to them.
Of the 425 calls made to the Yishun NPC, police officers answered 330. The remaining 95 calls were not picked up, although the court was not told how many calls to the other three NPCs were answered.
The repeated calls created a significant disruption because unanswered calls could occupy the police centre’s telephone lines. When officers were unable to answer incoming calls immediately, subsequent callers could be placed into a queue, potentially delaying access to the centres.
SIM Card Registered To Foreign Worker
The telephone number was eventually traced to telecommunications provider Simba. However, the SIM card had been registered under the name of a foreign worker.
The worker later told authorities that he had discarded the SIM card connected to the number. The court did not disclose further details about how Foo came into possession of it.
Foo was eventually arrested by police on May 11.
The use of a SIM card registered to another person was highlighted by the prosecution as an aggravating factor. Deputy Public Prosecutor Ng Jun Kai said it made it more difficult for investigators to identify the person responsible for the calls and resulted in the foreign worker being investigated.
Prosecutor Sought Longer Jail Term
The prosecution asked for a sentence of up to five weeks’ imprisonment, stressing the scale of the disruption caused by Foo’s actions.
The court also heard that Foo has mild intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder. However, prosecutors said an assessment by the Institute of Mental Health found no contributory link between those conditions and the offences.
Defence lawyer Daniel Atticus Xu sought a shorter sentence of two weeks’ jail for his client. He pointed out that Foo had contacted neighbourhood police centres rather than the 999 emergency hotline, which is intended for situations requiring immediate police assistance.
Nevertheless, the court ultimately imposed a 23-day jail sentence, bringing the case to a close after more than 1,000 unnecessary calls had tied up police telephone lines.
The case also highlights the potential consequences of repeatedly contacting emergency-related services without a legitimate reason, particularly when such calls can prevent members of the public from reaching authorities when they genuinely need assistance.
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