Man arrested for inciting PMD user violence on Telegram
In posts in chat groups, he called for PMD users to attack people at Punggol Park
A 34-year-old man has been arrested for using social media app Telegram to incite personal mobility device (PMD) users to attack park users at Punggol Park.
The police said they received a report on Monday that a Telegram user had posted in chat groups calling for PMD users to gather at Punggol Park at 9pm on that day to "cause injury to anyone they see".
Through investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division established the identity of the man and arrested him on Tuesday at 10am, the police said in a news release.
Two mobile phones were seized.
Those convicted of making an electronic record containing an incitement to violence can be jailed for up to five years, fined or both.
Yesterday also marked the start of the Land Transport Authority's (LTA) zero-tolerance policy towards e-scooter riders caught riding on footpaths.
On the first day of enforcement, two PMD users, one in Yishun and one in Sengkang, were caught riding e-scooters on footpaths.
They could be fined up to $2,000, jailed for up to three months, or both.
Earlier yesterday, LTA enforcement officers were seen patrolling areas such as Ang Mo Kio, Punggol, Sembawang, Yishun and Sengkang.
The LTA said: "Our enforcement officers have started taking strict enforcement action against e-scooter users who are caught riding on footpaths.
"E-scooter users can continue to ride their devices on cycling paths and park connector networks. We are ramping up such infrastructure islandwide to better support active mobility."
The footpath ban started on Nov 5, after a series of e-scooter-related accidents.
Under new rules, e-scooter users are banned from riding their devices on footpaths. This means e-scooters can only be used on cycling paths.
While the ban started last November, the authorities have been issuing warnings to errant riders, instead of summons, up till Dec 31. In December alone, the LTA issued 6,000 such warnings.
Last night, food delivery company Deliveroo told The New Paper it had stopped assigning food delivery orders to riders on PMDs from Jan 1.
"Any existing riders on PMDs who have not switched vehicles or applied for the LTA's E-scooter Trade-In Grant by the deadline will not be able to continue working with Deliveroo, until they confirm they would like to switch vehicles," the spokesman said, adding that the company will continue to support riders who wish to transition to a new vehicle.
Since the company's trade-in grant scheme was announced, Deliveroo has received applications from 15 per cent of its PMD fleet.
The LTA has approved 80 per cent of these applications.
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