CURBING YOUTH VIOLENCE

CURBING YOUTH VIOLENCE

**

(Restrict sale of weapons): **

7.

Er Lee Bee Wah asked the Minister for Home Affairs given the recent spate of youth violence whether the Ministry will consider regulating the sale of knives, daggers, kris and other sharp implements such as parang to young people.

Mr Shanmugam: Currently, the Arms & Explosives Act regulates the sale of certain sharp implements such as bayonets, swords, daggers, spears and spearheads by requiring dealers of these arms to be licensed. As part of the licensing requirements, dealers must keep a record of the sales of such items, including the purchaser's particulars.

The knives that were used in the recent gang-related incidents included common household knives such as kitchen knives and meat cleavers. Restricting the sale of such knives to young people will not have much practical impact given that these items can be

Column: 2161

obtained from their homes. Youths can also use other items such as bottles and wooden sticks to inflict hurt.

A more practical approach would be to address the possession of weapons in public places, where there is intent to use the weapons in an offensive manner. There are already laws in place to this effect. Under the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act, an offensive weapon is defined as any instrument likely to cause hurt if used as a weapon of offence. The penalties for those convicted of possessing any offensive weapon in a public place without lawful purpose or authority are severe. These include mandatory imprisonment of up to three years; and mandatory caning of not less than six strokes.

If the offensive weapon is further listed as a Scheduled Weapon, such as flick knives, parangs and knuckledusters, first-time offenders convicted will face even more severe penalties, viz , mandatory imprisonment of up to five years; and mandatory caning of not less than six strokes. Repeat offenders will face even harsher punishments.

Police have the powers to arrest persons, including young persons, for the possession of offensive weapons in public if these persons do not have valid reasons for carrying such items and if there are grounds to suspect that they have committed or intend to commit crimes. To illustrate, following a STOMP posting, two male youths aged 16 and 17 were arrested for brandishing a knife whilst onboard an MRT train. The youths were arrested for Unlawful Possession of Offensive Weapons and Consorting with Persons with Offensive Weapons under section 6(1) and section 8(1) of the Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act respectively. Investigations are ongoing.

The issue of youth violence is a multi-faceted one and cannot be tackled just by regulation and enforcement against the sale and possession of sharp implements alone. It is critical for us to tackle the issue of youth gang violence by going to the root of the problem and disrupting the formation of youth gangs. I had informed the House in November that MHA is studying whether Police require additional powers to intervene upstream. We also need to continue to invest in preventive and rehabilitative efforts for at-risk youths and youth offenders. My Ministry will continue to work with agencies such as the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, the Central Youth Guidance Office and the community to jointly tackle this issue.

Column: 2161