CRIMES IN MULTI-STOREY CAR PARKS (Measures to counter)

CRIMES IN MULTI-STOREY CAR PARKS:

(Measures to counter): 12.

Miss Penny Low asked the Minister for Home Affairs what (i) are the common crimes committed at multi-storey car parks; (ii) is the trend of such crimes; (iii) measures are in place to counter car park crimes like theft, vandalism and mischief; and (iv) more can be done.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Minister for Home Affairs: ): Sir, the number of cases of seizable crimes committed at multi-storey car parks remains fairly stable, with around 1,000 cases in each of the lastthree years and 511 cases in the first half of this year. Thefts of motor vehicles and motor vehicle parts as well as theft from vehicles account for approximatelyeight out of every 10 cases.

Sir, vehicle owners play the most crucial role in preventing such crimes because it is their responsibility to ensure that valuable properties are not kept in the vehicle and visible to would-be criminals.

Car park owners and managers must also play their part. Some car park owners have put in place security measures such as improved lighting, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance, and even deployed guards to patrol the premises. These are pro-active measures which I urge other car park owners to also adopt.

Police has an ongoing programme to educate vehicle owners on crime prevention measures, which include crime prevention talks and exhibitions. Police has also been sending out newsletters to residents to remind them to take precautions to prevent theft at car parks. Banners and signages have been put up to remind motorists to remove valuables from their vehicles and to secure their vehicles before leaving the car park.

In addition, the Police and the Neighbourhood Watch Zone volunteers conduct joint patrols to deter crime at car parks and HDB void decks. Police also works closely with grassroots organisations to formulate relevant Community Safety and Security Programmes (CSSP) to address various crime concerns.

Finally, we must recognise that aspolice officers cannot be everywhere at all times,the public can help by acting as the extended eyes and ears of the Police. Members of the public who see anything suspicious, whether in the car parks or in their neighbourhoods, should call the Police immediately.

Miss Penny Low: I would like to ask whether the Senior Minister of State can define what are the seizable crimes. And if eight outof 10 casesare due to theft or breakage into vehicles, then whatare the other two out of 10? In the case of car park vandalism, especially in HDB estates, if all things fail, including Neighbourhood Watch Scheme, CSSP and so on,what else can be done to help protect safety and security of vehicle owners?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, for the other seizable offences committed at multi-storey car parks, these include theft of bicycles, theft from persons, snatch thefts. These are some of the other examples. We can see that theftof vehicles, theft of vehicle parts andtheft from vehiclesconstitute a large percentage. That is the first point. The second point is, like I have said, the primary duty and responsibility lie with the car park owners. That is a key point, and that is why Miss Low will know that the Police has been very active, together with the National Crime Prevention Council, in introducing projects, for example, the muralproject,in Miss Low's ward as well as in Sengkang and Rivervale and Pasir Ris where the tagline is "Don't park your valuables in the car." There is another project which is initiated with URA and HDB where the coupons will soon have this tagline"Lock, look and leave".Whatever we do, there will be offences. So,you lock first, after you have locked, you make sure that you do not expose your cashcard ornotebook, and then you leave.

A lot has been done already, particularly to curb crimes in car parks. I think the grassroots are very active in doing this, for example, including initiatingCOP, citizens on patrol, and so forth. It is a situation where we can never eradicate crimes. Basically, my call isto car park owners. I think if they take this seriously upon themselves, thefts from cars will be reduced.

Miss Penny Low: Sir, the Senior Minister of State is indeed right to point out that in Rivervale, Sengkang and Punggol areas, there have been quite a number of these campaigns. However, there has also been a spate of vandalism andI am not sure whether the figures have gone up because the Senior Minister of State has not given any figures on vandalism in multi-storey car parks in HDB estates. Ifit did, obviously these campaigns are insufficient to reduce or discourage vandalism. What other measures could be in place to help reduce these numbers and to protect the car owners?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Mischief cases are not seizable offences, so they are not captured in these figures. Indeed, there are offences concerning the scratching of cars, not just in multi-storey car parks, but everywhere else. This is one of those offences where if you are unfortunate, somebody fancies or does not like your car being so shiny, it will be scratched,that is no fault of yours in that case. I would expect that, in this instance, the citizens on patrol will help, or fellow car park owners keeping a lookout for suspicious characters around, because a person who comes around to scratch your car will not just come in a jiffyand go off. Normally, he will linger around. My last point is to be theeyes and ears of everybody, who is around everywhere, any time and, in particular, in that context, the multi-storey car park, because it is a confined space, people who do mischief there can be spotted if the grassroots are attentive.

Mr Sin Boon Ann (Tampines): Sir, in my division, we have found the use of surveillance cameras to bea very effective deterrent against petty crimes. Very often, for our residents, raising funds to cover the cost and expense of installing such cameras can be quite onerous and I have, in the past, in this House, asked the Government for some sort of subsidy, together with the fund-raising efforts of the residents, to install more of such cameras, particularly in the crime-prone areas like car parks. And I am sure, with an approach like this, it will help to reduce and deterpotential criminals from vandalising cars parked at public car parks, andalso instead of widening the category of seizable offences, whichwas suggested in the earlier round ofquestions.

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, certainly, having CCTVs installed will be one of the solutions but it cannot be the prime solution,otherwise we will have CCTVs in many places in Singapore. I am glad that Mr Sin Boon Ann has taken the initiative to install the CCTVs in his ward. I think he has managed to raise the funds by roundingup his residents, the town council chipped in andthe CDC also chipped in. It is an excellent example of a self-help approach which indeed we are encouraging on the ground. Police of course does its part, for example, by injecting funds to help residents carry out the CSSP activitieswhere the residents are involved. I think we should keep it at that. We should not use Police funds or Government funds to fund the hardware (CCTVs). Otherwise, everybody will be coming round to the Police and that may mean a dilution of available funds for what is the core of the matter, that is,community policing, which is working with the grassrootsin some of these activities.

Mr Sin Boon Ann: Sir, I do not understand the logic. If , in the course of funding these programmes, it will help to reduce the crime rate, wouldthat not be helping the work of the Police as well? We are asking the Government for support here. We are not asking for a total subsidy, but just to help the grassroots along. I understand that technology has advanced somewhat to a point where the cost of acquiring these CCTVs is not very expensive. Would the Government reconsider this?

Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee: Sir, in the spirit of collaboration, all partners and parties should be involved. So each party should be involved in a way that it is best able to contribute, for example, getting the town council, the CDC or the HDB, for example, in HDB car parks to try to chip in. I think it is a wonderful way to do it. As for the Police, as I have said, in fact, we have done a lot already, where they can contribute inparticular areas, such asexhibitions, talks andhaving joint patrols. So let us all work together. Otherwise, it will not be a case of Mr Sin Boon Ann rallying the other parties to come forward with a solution. It is because we said no in this House, so he said, "All right.You said no, I will do it together with the other parties." He has come up with this solution. And since Mr Sin has done it and it is working for him,I think it is wonderful. He is able to find the funds forit.$2,000-$3,000 per camera is not much.For Miss Low and other MPs who may be having this problem, it is an opportunity for us, as MPs on the ground, to rally and find the best solution that works. But, as I have said, while CCTVs can be one solution, I think in all these offences, the person who suffers the crime and other people who are in the area must play their primary role. This is the message I want to reinforce today.