PUBLISHED ONJune 30, 2026 9:41 AMBYSean LerTwo boys, aged 11 and 12, have been administered conditional warnings for forcefully opening a cabin partition door at the back of a MRT train and sounding the train's horn.
The incident took place on February 21 on board a North-South Line train but only came to light over the weekend after the video was posted online on June 28.
In the video, one of the boys is seen using a screwdriver to unlock a door leading to the train captain's cabin before reaching for the train's horn and sounding it several times.
He then exited the cabin and locked the door again.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, SMRT Trains president Lam Sheau Kai stated the boys' actions triggered an onboard alarm, alerting the train's captain, who immediately informed the Operations Control Centre about the incident.
SMRT's staff at the next station were then alerted to investigation the incident.
According to Lam, the boys alighted at the next station, with closed circuit television (CCTV) images confirming their actions.
A police report was made the same day, he added.
"We take a serious view of such incidents. Unauthorised access to restricted areas of our trains poses significant safety and security risks.
"Such reckless actions endanger those involved and may also disrupt train operations, affecting our commuters," Lam said.
In response to AsiaOne's queries, the police confirmed that a report was lodged on Feb 21.
Police said that they consulted with the Attorney-General's Chambers upon completion of investigations and following "careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case".
A decision was then made to administer condition warnings to the two boys for offences under the Rapid Transit System Act.
A conditional warning is issued to an offender in lieu of prosecution.
This means that the public prosecutor will not prosecute him for the current offence, on condition that he does not commit any offence within the specified period of the conditional warning.
Responding to a parliamentary question on April 8, 2025, Minister for Home Affairs K Shanmugam said that the public prosecutor considers factors such as the gravity of the offence, the likelihood of reoffending, and past offences committed by the person – in particular whether the offence is similar in nature to the past offences and how much time has passed between the offences.
Conditional warnings typically contain the condition that the suspect must remain crime free for a period ranging from one to three years after its issuance.
The authorities reserve the right to prosecute the suspect for the original crime for which he was warned, as well as any fresh offences.
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