'Abang Polis' touched by fame as banter with Malaysian anglers goes viral

It was just another routine day for Police Coast Guard officer Mohd Ramdzan Yahya when he conducted checks on a vessel that had drifted into Singapore waters.

- Eileen Ng

The TikTok video of the light-hearted banter between Station Inspector Mohd Ramdzan Yahya, who is with the Police Coast Guard, and two Malaysian anglers was a hit with netizens. ST PHOTO: SHINTARO TAY

(SHINTARO TAY)

Little did he expect that his five-minute interaction with a couple of Malaysian anglers would go viral on social media, earning him widespread recognition, praise for his professionalism and the nickname Abang Polis.

On Nov 15, Station Inspector Mohd Ramdzan, 47, and two of his colleagues spotted a motorised wooden boat while they were doing their patrols northeast of Pulau Tekong at 2pm.

They immediately realised the vessel was in Singapore’s territorial waters.

As their high-speed patrol craft approached the smaller boat, Station Insp Mohd Ramdzan noticed that the two men, whom he could tell were recreational fishermen, looked nervous.

"I cracked some jokes to put them at ease and, at the same time, I asked for their identification for us to conduct checks," he told The Straits Times on Dec 3, adding that the men were cooperative.