Physical Crime in Singapore Rose in 2022; Molestation, Theft on the Up

Physical crimes in Singapore in 2022 increased as COVID-19 measures were eased and more activities have been resumed.

According to the Singapore Police Force's (SPF) Annual Crime Brief 2022, released on Feb. 16, the total number of physical crimes in the city-state in the previous year rose by 4.4% to 20,193 from 19,343 recorded crimes in 2021, although still lower than the total cases pre-pandemic.

The police also identified the crimes of concern in 2022, namely outrage of modesty (OM or molestation), voyeurism, shop theft, theft in dwelling and rioting.

OM cases went up to 1,610 in 2022 from 1,474 in 2021 and comprised 8% of the total physical crime cases, the police reported, adding that most of the OM cases or 58.3% included perpetrators that were familiar to the victim.

"With the public entertainment (PE) landscape regaining vibrance as we emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of OM cases at nightspots increased to 129 cases in 2022, compared to 21 in 2021," the report read.

In response to this, the police launched the third edition of the Smart Clubbing Campaign last Jan. 19 which urged patrons and establishments to have shared responsibility for preventing OM crimes from being committed inside these outlets.

Voyeurism cases went down to 424 in 2022 from 467 in 2021 and comprised 2.1% of the total physical crimes, but the police still reminded the public to be vigilant against voyeurism.

Shop theft cases were on the rise, increasing to 3,244 in 2022 from 2,652 in 2021. Making up 16.1% of the total physical crimes in 2022, it was reported that majority or 67% of these cases happened in department stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, and convenience stores.

Theft in dwelling cases also went up to 1,729 cases in 2022 from 1,359 in 2021 and were observed at residential and commercial properties. The usual items stolen included cash, jewellery, and electronic items.

Rioting also increased to 60 cases from 46 cases in 2021, with the police noting that this number is lower than pre-COVID-19 days.

"Despite the increase in physical crime in 2022, the crime situation in Singapore remains under control. This is evidenced by the strong sense of security and safety the public has, supported by the strong public trust in the SPF," SPF Acting Director of the Operations Department AC Gregory Tan was quoted as saying. "The SPF will continue to step up our efforts to keep physical crime in check as we return to post-COVID-19 normalcy."