Punched and hit but police won't be taking action

ON THE night of March 13 I chanced upon a kitten at Block 506 along Bishan Street 11. It was tied to a fence so tightly that it looked as if it was having difficulty breathing so I decided to try to release it. Suddenly, a man shouted at me, claiming I was trying to steal his kitten.

Before I could utter a word, he punched me in the face. As I staggered backwards I tried to explain but he punched me a second time. Fearing for my life, I picked myself up and ran. The man chased after me, hurling abuse along the way.

I ran into a nearby shop to seek refuge as well as to call the police. The man followed me in, proclaiming that he wasn't scared of the authorities. He grabbed my bag and used it to strike me.

The shopkeeper told the man to back off as he did not want trouble inside his shop.

After calling the police a few times, two officers finally arrived about 20 minutes later. One took down my particulars as well as my account of what had happened while the other appeared to do the same with my assailant.

An ambulance was called and I was taken to hospital for a checkup. Upon being discharged, I immediately filed a police report.

Three days later, when I managed to speak to the officer-in-charge on the phone, I was told that the police would not be taking any action as it was a 'civil case'. I was told to file a magistrate's complaint, which I did.

What is the role of the police in such cases, where hurt has been caused?

What kind of message is the police sending to people such as the individual who assaulted me?