Shaffiq became a journalist in 2006 after working as a trained teacher. He started out as a broadcast journalist, writing for radio, before joining The New Paper’s crime desk in 2011, where he won several awards for investigative reports. He joined The Straits Times after that and is now its court correspondent. Shaffiq runs long distances for fun and enjoys taking part in races overseas – preferably where there are mountains as he loves being with nature.