Warren’s Singapore

Overall Crime Down

The overall crime reported in 2009 decreased by 0.4% to 32,968 cases from 33,113 cases in 2008. Notably, the overall crime rate2 also fell to 661 from 684 in 2008. Annex A shows the breakdown of overall crime in 2009 compared to 2008.

Four of the six crime classes registered decreases in 2009 compared to 2008. They are namely:

Crimes Against Persons, which refers to crimes where the victim suffers bodily harm as a result of the crime, fell in 2009, with 4,370 cases compared to 4,393 in 2008. The decrease can be attributed mainly to a fall in the number of murder and rioting cases recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008, from 25 to 19 cases (or -24%) and 358 to 283 cases (or -20.9%) respectively.

Violent Property Crimes, which refers to crimes which involve the taking of money or property by force or threat of force, decreased to 749 cases in 2009 from 962 cases in 2008. The decrease can be attributed mainly to a fall in the number of robbery cases recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008, from 929 to 713 cases (or -23.3%).

Commercial Crimes, comprising mainly cheating and related offences, registered a drop to 3,357 cases in 2009 compared to the 3,488 cases in 2008. This is largely due to the successful efforts of the police in raising public awareness against the various types of cheating scams complemented by the support of various stakeholders such as banks and financial institutions in combating such scams.

Miscellaneous Crimes registered 3,064 cases in 2009, a decrease from 3,454 cases in 2008. Decreases were registered in various offences such as affray, disorderly behavior and trespassing.

Two of the six crime classes registered increases in 2009 compared to 2008. They are namely:
Housebreaking and Related Crimes increased to 1,026 cases in 2009 from a record low of 898 cases in 2008. The rise in cases is largely attributed to break-ins at HDB residential units, where many units were secured with poor quality locks that could be easily cut opened and at education/care centres, where some were not secured with security alarm systems. Nevertheless, a total of 25 serial offenders responsible for at least 261 cases of housebreaking were also arrested in 2009.

Theft and Related Crimes registered 20,402 cases in 2009, an increase from the 19,918 cases in 2008. The main sub-categories which saw increases within this Crime Class were bicycle theft, shop theft and theft in public areas

Key Crime Concerns

While the overall crime situation for 2009 remains under control, Police would nonetheless like to highlight the following crime concerns, namely:
Increase in petty theft cases;
Increase in break-ins at HDB residences and education/care centres;
More female minors involved in statutory rape3 cases.

Petty Theft Up
Theft and Related Crimes registered 20,402 cases in 2009, an increase of 484 cases (or 2.4%) from the 19,918 cases seen in 2008. Common theft cases include theft in public areas, shop theft and theft of bicycles.

Efforts to curb petty theft - Leveraging on the community

Theft in public places registered 4,765 cases in 2009, an increase of 407 cases (or 9.3%) from the 4,358 cases in 2008. These are mostly cases whereby personal belongings such as handphones and wallets were stolen after they were left unattended at public places. In Police’s efforts to constantly heighten public awareness against theft, anti-theft posters, standees, signages and banners continued to be displayed prominently in crowded public areas such as swimming pools, shopping malls, and MRT stations.

Shop Theft recorded 5,231 cases in 2009, which rose by 200 cases (or 4%) as compared to the 5,031 cases in 2008.

Bicycle theft recorded 1,074 cases in 2009, an increase of 399 cases (or 59.1%) as compared to the 675 cases in 2008. Besides conducting regular patrols and giving advice to cyclists, the Police also work closely with Grassroots Leaders, Town Councils, Community Development Councils, Land Transport Authority and the public transport operators to curb bicycle thefts in the neighborhoods. For example, the “Lock your bike, Mark your ride” Community Safety and Security Program (CSSP) by Pasir Ris NPC will be re-launched this year with the introduction of a new type of lock with alarm to bicycle owners in Pasir Ris, as an added enhancement to the security of their bicycles.

On top of community initiatives, Police have stepped up their enforcement against bicycle theft and mounted an island-wide operation from 26 Dec 2009 to 31 Jan this year which saw 26 persons arrested for bicycle related thefts. In addition, education efforts through roadshows, talks and dissemination of advisories to raise public awareness on the importance of safeguarding one’s bicycle were also concurrently held during this period.

Director of Operations, Assistant Commissioner Lim Kok Thai said, “Besides regular enforcement efforts, various Community Safety and Security Programs have been, and will be embarked upon to promote anti-bicycle theft awareness amongst bicycle owners and to encourage owners to adopt enhance security measures to protect their bicycles. The Police would also like to remind bicycle owners to play their part by not leaving their bicycles at common corridors, lift landings and staircase landings as these areas are prone locations for bicycle thefts.”

Increase in break-ins at HDB residences and educational/care centers

Housebreaking and Related Crimes registered 1,026 cases in 2009, an increase of 128 cases (or 14.3%) from the 898 cases reported in 2008. The increase can be mainly attributed to more break-ins at HDB residential units, where many units were secured with poor quality locks that could be easily cut opened – from 279 to 389 cases – and at education/care centers, where some were not secured with security alarm systems – from 24 to 57 cases. Common items stolen include jewelery, cash, laptops, handphones and other valuables.

Despite the rise in cases, a total of 25 serial offenders responsible for at least 261 cases of housebreaking were also arrested in 2009.

Efforts to curb Housebreaking/Leveraging on the community

Various initiatives are conducted regularly at residential estates to highlight to residents and premise owners the importance of having adequate security measures to reduce the risk of break-ins, such as the localized dissemination of crime prevention tips and awareness campaigns that involve the introduction of DIY window and door contact alarms. Police will continue to adopt a holistic strategy in dealing with the rise in break-ins. Besides conducting regular patrols and working closely with various stakeholders to combat housebreaking, community engagement remains an integral aspect in enhancing Police’s efforts to heighten residents’ and premise owners’ vigilance and awareness on how they could safeguard their property against housebreakers.

More Female Minors involved in Statutory Rape

Statutory rape cases involving female minors under 14 years of age who had consensual sex rose from 61 to 83 cases (or +36.1%) in 2009. Similar to previous years, boyfriends, friends and acquaintances formed the bulk of the culprits in these cases.

To address this growing trend, Police will continue to work closely with MOE, MCYS and NCPC to enhance training sessions, workshops, programs and crime awareness talks that are already in place as well as embark on several intervention initiatives. For example, in 2009, Police extended its talks to social services networks, with the objective of widening the reach of creating a greater awareness on the legal and social consequences of teenage sex, to dissuade teenagers from such acts.

All stakeholders, including the community, schools, parents, and media have an important role to play in educating youth against under-aged sex. Care should be taken by families to notice the activities of their youth members as most of the perpetrators in such cases are known to the victims (e.g. boyfriends and friends).

Dip in total number of phone scam cases but cheating scam targeting elderly victims remains a concern.

Police’s continuous efforts to raise public awareness and vigilance over the last two years have led to significant decrease in phone scam cases. The number of successful phone scam cases in 2009 fell by more than half as compared to 2008. Although culprits have came up with new methods of scams such as the “Extortion Scam” which is designed to ’scare’ business owners into parting with their money, it is worthy to note that no successful cases of the “Extortion Scam” were registered in 2009.

However, we are concerned about the increase in the number of elderly victims falling prey to cheating and related offenses, which increased by 11 persons (+8.2%) from 134 persons in 2008 to 145 persons in 2009.

Enhancing awareness among elderly victims and on new scam techniques is therefore pertinent. To reach out to more senior citizens, several crime prevention efforts such as workshops and ‘chit-chat’ sessions continued to be conducted with the objective of promoting crime prevention awareness amongst senior citizens with an emphasis on cheating/phone scams, robbery, theft, pickpocketing, illegal betting and robbery.

Also, although the number of successful phone scam cases have fallen significantly, culprits will continue to come up with new methods of scams designed to ’scare’/’entice’ victims into parting with their money. The public is thus urged to remain vigilant against such scams.