Home Team: Overall crime rate falls 2.1 percent for first half of 2016

Singapore overall crime rate revealed a decrease by 2.1 percent against the same period in 2015, but trends of highlighted concern include the rise of internet-related scams and traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians, among others.

The Home Team released the mid-year statistics today, 29 August.

The decline is largely due to decreases in violent or serious property crimes (20.1 percent), housebreaking and related crimes (20.1 percent) and theft and related crimes (11.4 percent).

But the number of crimes against persons, commercial crimes, and miscellaneous crimes rose 6.8 percent, 9.2 percent, and 4.5 percent respectively, while the number of fatal traffic accidents is down by 12 percent. All the numbers are comparations to last year.

The number of fire summons also decreases 10.8 percent, from 2,406 in 2015 to 2,146 this year.

The number of immigration offenders arrested still continued on a year-on-year decline, with the number of 982 arrests in 2015 to 623 arrests in 2016 (down by 36.6 percent).

And the highlighted concern trends include the rise of internet-related scams (13.4 percent), traffic accidents involving elderly pedestrians (20 percent), emergency medical services calls (8 percent), and the number of new drug abusers under the age of 30 (8.7 per cent).

The Home Team stated that Singapore’s law and order situation remains favourable. Nevertheless, Singapore is still facing various threats, especially terrorism.The detail of the statistics is posted in the Home Team press release .

A national movement, the “SGSecure” will officially be launched next month and will sensitise, train and mobilise Singaporeans, in preventing and dealing with a terror attack, the Home Team wrote.

TOC however notes that we still receive cases from readers about police writing off their cases if they think it is inappropriate, such as domestic dispute or lack of evidence in theft, in fact two of such cases just this month. And we are unable to ascertain if that has anything to do with the decreased crime rates, as SPF is not transparent in the manner in which it manages its cases.