VANDALISM AND CRIMINAL OFFENCES RELATED TO EN-BLOC SALES

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VANDALISM AND CRIMINAL OFFENCES RELATED TO EN-BLOC SALES: * * *

24.

Assoc. Prof. Kalyani K Mehta asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs in light of recent media reports of vandalism and other criminal offences related to en-bloc sales, if he will provide a breakdown of (i) the total number of such offences reported islandwide for each year from January 2005 to June 2008; and (ii) the type of offence committed.

Mr Wong Kan Seng: The Police do not collate figures for acts of mischief and other criminal offences specifically related to en-bloc sales, as it is not practical to keep track of the estates or locations involved in en-bloc sale projects.

To deter such offenders, the Police work closely with residents, grassroots organisations and other agencies to enhance the safety of neighbourhoods. For example, the Police issued a crime prevention advisory to the residents of Laguna Park (a private condominium along Marine Parade Road where acts of mischief had occurred) in July this year, encouraging the residents to play their part by adopting preventive measures, such as parking their vehicles in well-lit designated areas, installing anti-theft alarms and covering their parked vehicles with canvas sheets. Residents were also encouraged to form watch groups to patrol car parks, and to alert the Police should they come across suspicious characters loitering at car parks or in the neighbourhood.

I would like to assure the public that all reported cases made to Police are viewed seriously and appropriate follow-up actions would be taken to establish if an offence is disclosed and the identity of the offender, regardless of whether the report is in relation to an en-bloc sale or otherwise.