Anyone can tell me how will someone decide whether the offence is really worth charging the person all the way till he go DB? Some ppl AWOL like this confirm go DB one.. but what if is a chargable offence but is a minor crime?
I also heard if the person is going to UNI or studying UNI, the offender will usually get a warning because they wont usually touch a undergraduate for small offence.
all depends on PC, OC, and S1 officer.
and for more serious cases, CO will be called into the panel of displinary officers (DO).
as far as i noe, got a GOM disciplinary directive to serve as a guideline. within the brigade/ division level, got what junior DO (JDO), senior DO (SDO). they usually deal with small to moderate cases.
for some other serious cases, is Summary Trial liao.
thereafter, lastly is the Court Marital.
chargeable minor offences is usually just pay a fine.
then, next is SOL liao... or demotion...etc.
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more info www.ns.sg :
Military Justice System in the SAF
1. Overview
The military justice system in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) is expected to treat every service personnel fairly and equally, regardless of race, rank or vocation.
2. Multi-levelled Approach
The military justice system is based on the SAF Act, which was implemented in 1972. All servicemen are subjected to the SAF Act, SAF Regulations, and orders of whatever form issued pursuant to them.
While discipline is paramount in the military, not all offences committed by SAF servicemen are dealt with by formal investigations and charges. Essentially, offenders can be dealt with either by way of informal or formal punishment systems.
3. Informal Punishment System
Commanders are empowered to mete out informal punishments like push-ups and weekend confinement to servicemen who have committed disciplinary breaches, like being late, sluggish, or improperly dressed.
4. Formal Punishment System
If the offence that a serviceman committed is of a more serious nature, he may be formally dealt with by his disciplinary officer by way of a summary trial, or brought before a subordinate military court (more commonly known as the General Court Martial or GCM).
(a) Summary Trial
The offences that can be dealt with by summary trial are essentially military offences, such as absence without leave (AWOL), non-compliance with lawful orders or insubordination.
Depending on the rank of the serviceman in question, and the type of the disciplinary body hearing the case, the possible sentences that may be imposed can vary, and these can include fines or detention.
The summary trial is carried out in accordance with relevant SAF regulations, and the records of the summary trial are sent to the office of the Director, Legal Services of the SAF.
(b) General Court Martial
The General Court Martial exists as a separate forum from that of the summary trial. Unlike the summary trial, the GCM can deal with a wider range of offences, and can impose a wider range of punishments including imprisonment and discharge, on top of sentences like detention and fines. The GCM is also a more public and open forum, and its proceedings are conducted using similar legal rules and procedures as those used in a civil criminal court.
Generally, only serious offences investigated by the Military Police Command, and which are referred to the office of the Director of Legal Services, will result in the accused serviceman being charged in a GCM. In such a case, a military prosecutor will draw up a formal charge sheet and present it before the GCM.
General Courts Martial can be further sub-divided into two categories, namely the Panel Courts Martial - consisting of a President and usually two other members, and Judge Courts Martial - consisting of a single President only.
Currently, the practice is for military offences to be heard by Panel Courts Martial, while civil offences like misuse of drugs and penal code offences may be dealt with by a Judge Court Martial.
The current policy is also for an NSman, who is or was a District Judge in the Subordinate Courts, to preside in a GCM. There are currently 10 NSmen who have been appointed by the Armed Forces Council to perform duty as President of a court martial. They are rostered by the Registrar of the Subordinate Military Court to hear cases during their in-camp training. In the case of a Panel Court Martial, the other two members are rostered from among some 155 military officers appointed by the Chief of Defence Force.
5. Ways to Seek Redress
There are numerous safeguards and avenues set out in the military justice system for an SAF serviceman to seek redress if he is unhappy about the punishment imposed on him.
Generally, a serviceman who is dissatisfied with an informal punishment meted out to him may request a higher level commander to review the punishment, or request for formal disciplinary dealing.
In the case of a summary trial, a serviceman brought before the disciplinary officer may elect instead to be tried by a court martial. Alternatively, an aggrieved serviceman may request that his conviction or punishment imposed at the summary trial be reviewed by MINDEF's Director Manpower (a delegated authority of the Armed Forces Council).
In the case of a GCM, a serviceman may choose to be represented by a lawyer or an SAF defending officer if his case will be heard by a court martial. The SAF has about 200 trained defending officers. While an SAF defending officer comes free to the serviceman, he has to bear the cost of engaging a lawyer. At the end of the trial, a serviceman who is dissatisfied with the decision of the court martial may petition the Reviewing Authority (the AFC or a committee of its members) for a review of his case. The serviceman can also appeal to the Military Court of Appeal (MCA) for a reconsideration of his conviction, or his sentence, or both.
The MCA, when convened to hear an appeal, sits as a panel of five members. Heading the MCA is a President, who is appointed by the Chief Justice. By law, he must be a person qualified to be a Judge of the Supreme Court. The current President of the MCA is Justice Choo Han Teck. Four other members - two civilian members who are qualified legal practitioners with at least five years experience each, and two senior military officers - make up the rest of the MCA. The MCA is the highest court in the military justice system.
6. Impartial Hearings
It is important to recognise that the GCM and the MCA are tribunals headed by presidents who are outside the SAF chain of command.
Being an "outsider", the president of these forums will hear the case impartially like any other civil criminal case. The proceedings in the GCM and the MCA are also heard in a public forum, and these military courts adopt many of the same legal procedures and safeguards as that used in the civil criminal courts. All servicemen formally charged with an offence can bring their case to these forums.
What I am afraid is that for minor crimes like littering or self-pleasure, it would have been made into big cases. From what I heard, these 2 crimes are chargeable offences but from my experience I havent heard of anyone who has been caught into DB for doing so. So as an NSmen (Undergraduate) how do they charge you for doing such a offence? Or do you all think that it should be an offence serious enough to get you into DB?
Originally posted by GotNoLife™:What I am afraid is that for minor crimes like littering or self-pleasure, it would have been made into big cases. From what I heard, these 2 crimes are chargeable offences but from my experience I havent heard of anyone who has been caught into DB for doing so. So as an NSmen (Undergraduate) how do they charge you for doing such a offence? Or do you all think that it should be an offence serious enough to get you into DB?
as mentioned in above, there is a GOM directive to serve as a guideline for disciplinary offences...
thanks rednano. Great help. Can I ask you if you were an officer who would have decided the conclusion of a minor offence as I mentioned above to an NSmen, what would you have given? Haha :)
Originally posted by GotNoLife™:thanks rednano. Great help. Can I ask you if you were an officer who would have decided the conclusion of a minor offence as I mentioned above to an NSmen, what would you have given? Haha :)
just a fine
Thanks you made my day! :D
If bring up to MCA..
Confirm tio owned..
To bring up to MCA need to do alot of things sia..
usually MCA is very very serious offence like theft of army equipment or of the same level.
Moderator help me close this thread since it is resolved liao. Thanks!