Parliament: Decriminalisation of suicide attempts may come under review
Decriminalising suicide attempts could come under review, said Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs Desmond Lee on Monday (7 Nov).
Responding to a question by MP Louis Ng in Parliament, Lee said it is “not a straight-forward” issue.
“We need to make sure that we do not inadvertently send the signal that it is no longer wrong to take one’s own life,” Lee added.
Prosecutions are rare, according to Lee. In 2015, only two persons were prosecuted out of 1,096 reported cases of attempted suicides, Lee pointed out. And imprisonments are even rarer – only five persons charged for attempted suicides were imprisoned between 2011 and 2015.
Police officers are trained to respond to attempted suicides with sensitivity and compassion, said Lee, in response to MP Desmond Choo’s question on whether Home Affairs officers are given specialised training to handle cases of attempted suicides.
Handcuffs are used only when there is a need to prevent people who attempt suicide from absconding or further harming themselves, or causing harm to officers or members of the public, noted Lee.
In all cases of attempted suicides, an appropriate follow-up is recommended. Should there be signs of mental instability, the person may be warded for care and treatment, Lee said.
