PETTY CRIMES (Profile of offenders)

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the rise in petty crimes during this period of economic difficulties (a) what actions are being taken by his Ministry to tackle this problem; and (b) whether his Ministry has undertaken any study recently to understand the profile of these petty crime offenders.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, in the first half of this year, there were 7,130 cases of petty crimes, an increase of 9% compared with the first half of last year. Shoplifting constituted 93% of this increase. There were 2,060 shoplifting cases for the first half of this year, an increase of 34% compared to 1,530 cases in the corresponding period last year.

Sir, petty crimes are minor and opportunistic. Most could have been prevented if the victims had taken precaution. To address this, Police has reinforced its public education efforts through various channels, such as the popular Crime Watch series, crime prevention exhibitions and talks. In addition, Police works closely with representatives of the hotel, retail and other industries where these petty crimes occur. I have previously stressed in this House that community involvement is critical if we are to continue to keep our neighbourhoods safe and secure. Police will continue to raise the level of community awareness and involvement through the Community Safety and Security Programme.

As to whether we have undertaken any study recently to understand the profile of petty crime offenders, let me assure the House that Police has a system of capturing relevant data so that crime trends and behaviour can be identified early and corrective actions taken expeditiously.

The general profile of petty crime offenders has remained largely similar to that in previous years, with local male offenders comprising the majority. Of note, however, is an increase in the proportion of juveniles, ie, those aged between 7 and below 16, arrested for petty crimes from 15% to 20% in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year. To address this, Police collaborated with the Ministry of Education on an anti-shoplifting education package prior to the school holidays. Other on-going programmes, closely monitored by the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime which I chair, include the Honorary Voluntary Special Constable Scheme for teachers and the Guidance programme for teen shoplifters.

Sir, despite the increase in petty crimes in the first half of this year, Singapore remains one of the safest countries in the world. We have been consistently ranked in the World Competitiveness Report published by Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) as one of the top three safest countries in the world for four years running. Let me take this opportunity to assure the House that the Police will spare no effort to keep Singapore a safe and secure home for all.