4158. Humour from Security officers prohibit photography of buildings in Singapore.

SINGAPORE - 25 OCT 2022: The 3-tower Marina Bay Financial Centre (MBFC) in the Central Business District. Tenants include Standard Chartered Bank, LeVeL33 urban microbrewery and multi-national offices. 

A security officer stopped me taking photos of the outside of The Coffee Academics in the MBFC by putting his palm in front of my camera lens! He said this was his job unless I had permission to take photos even though I was in the public area. He phoned his manager who explained this was their job. How about handphone photos of the outside of The Coffee Academics? He had no objection. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Singapore, some security guards zealously force NO PHOTOGRAPHY of the mall, office buildings and MRT stations. 

I could see the humour developed in the following situation when I used my DSLR Canon camera to take photos:
 

1. The new Upper Thomson MRT opened at end of 2021. 

One auxiliary police officer managing traffic flows near the new Upper Thomson MRT Station stopped doing his duties to tell me not to take photos of the outside of the MRT Station till the traffic jam built up and he had to resume his traffic management duties! He thought terrorists take photos to plan attack on this MRT station. Google Maps will have all the photos terrorists need nowadays!

2. The Funan Mall. A security officer told me that photography of the new Supreme Court building opposite the mall is prohibited. "The judges will issue a summons to you as it is an offence," he ticked me off solemnly!

3. The Seletar Mall cinema. One retiree security officer said that I was not allowed to bring my Canon DSLR camera to watch movies as he saw me slinging my camera on the shoulder. This was the ruling from the management. He thought I was going to film the movie to sell!