Killing of Hoi Kim Heng

On 21 May 1994, Corporal Hoi Kim Heng, a police officer of the Singapore Police Force was stabbed to death by a drug addict, Soh Loo Ban, after a chase near Fook Hai Building in Chinatown, Singapore.

Police chase and murder
On 21 May 1994, Hoi, a regular police officer with the Central Police Division, was on regular patrol with his partner, 31-year-old Corporal Tan Huang Yee, in their Fast Response Car in the Chinatown area when they spotted 50-year-old Soh Loo Ban along Nankin Street behaving suspiciously. They stopped and stepped out to check on Soh, who was known for his history of crimes such as theft, armed robbery, drug offences and secret society activities. Soh's most recent offence had been barely a month ago, when he was arrested for possession and consumption of drugs on 23 April, for which he was released on bail but later absconded.

When Tan asked Soh for his identity card, he pretended to reach for his card but instead produced a 10 cm knife, which he used to stab Tan on his left arm before turning to flee. Both officers chased after Soh down Nankin Street. When reaching the Fook Hai Building, Soh stopped, turned and dashed into the pursuing officers, colliding with Hoi and sending both men to the ground. As they collided, Soh stabbed Hoi in the left side of his neck with his knife, before continuing on his escape with Tan still in pursuit. Hoi got up on his feet and briefly continued to chase Soh, but collapsed soon after.

Soh was chased to the Hong Lim Food Centre where the slippery floor caused both Tan and Soh to fall. Tan sustained more stab wounds from Soh in his left leg and arm, but he fired two shots at Soh with his revolver. One bullet hit Soh on the left side of his chest, killing him; the other struck a passerby, a 37-year-old labourer, who was on the second level of the three-storey food centre, injuring him on his shin.

Other officers arriving at the scene found Hoi barely alive and he was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead an hour later. Both Tan and the passerby recovered from their injuries.

Aftermath
Hoi, who joined the police force in December 1989, was given a field promotion posthumously on 23 May 1994 to the rank of Sergeant, and was given a police ceremonial cremation with full police honours, and awarded the Pingat Polis Keberanian. Tan, who joined the police force in April 1983 and was married with one child, was also promoted to the rank of Sergeant.

The case made front-page news in the local media, and led to the public writing letters to the press expressing concerns over the possibility of police procedures preventing the officer from defending himself adequately. Existing police procedures forbade officers from drawing their weapons except when there were imminent signs of danger to themselves or others. Hoi's death contributed to a review of these procedures, which now permit officers to draw their weapons based on personal judgement and assessment of the situation presented before them.

Hoi was the second-last police officer in Singapore to be killed in the line of duty to date, the last being Station Inspector Boo Tiang Huat on 30 November 1994.