Singapore continues to be among the safest societies in the world, but can we continue to be blasé about crime—especially at night? By Ramesh William I-S Mag
Low crime, as the catchy police ad campaign warns, doesn’t mean no crime. Singapore has long been regarded as one of the safest places in the world, and we are; both statistical and anecdotal evidence testifies in favor of such claims. Recent statistics released by the police here revealed 2008’s crime numbers dropping 1.2 percent to 32,412 cases, with the overall crime rate falling to 670 from 715 per 100,000.
However, the devil, as they say, is
in the details. This time around, the gremlins can be found in the category of
“Crimes Against Persons,” which, as defined by the Ministry of Home Affairs,
refers to crimes where the victim is an individual and suffers bodily harm as a
result of the crime. This category increased in 2008, with 4,354 cases compared
to 4,113 in 2007. Murder, which also falls under this category rose from 18 to
26 cases in 2008.
Comparatively, these numbers (murder rate of 0.65 per
100,000) are still very low—especially when you consider that the top two
countries in the world murder rankings, Colombia and South Africa, chalk up a
staggering 63 and 51 murders per 100,000 respectively.
These figures,
however, do not point to whether Singapore is a safe place at night. And that is
particularly important, because the government here is keen to promote the
city-state as a buzzing and thriving metropolis with lots of things to do after
dark.
The Great Singapore Sale with its emphasis on late-night shopping,
the Singapore River Festival with its focus on nightly concerts and night museum
visits, and of course, the staging of the world’s only Formula One night race,
are but a few examples of the concerted push by the authorities to make our at
times uninspired “night street life” buzz.
The demographic targeted here
is not just the bobbing, bubbly 20-somethings, but instead, people of all
ages from tourists to families, to the elderly and the less-able bodied.
So, for such activities to be a success and eventually become economically
critical mainstays, there must be a critical mass of people who attend these
events safe in the knowledge that nothing untoward is going to happen to them
when they venture after dark.
Can a young lady here take a cab home alone
late at night confident in the knowledge that her cab driver won’t have any ill
designs? Can someone walk through any neighborhood at 4am without running into a
restless bunch of youths? Or is it safe to rock on down to any late-night prata
or zhi char joint without fearing that it may be the domain of a gang, who could
willy-nilly threaten you to leave?
For most parts, the answer is still
yes. But slowly, we are hearing hushed tones of disaffection, like “Hey, better
avoid Place A or Place B at night.” Anecdotal evidence has also drawn us to the
attention of random, unprovoked muggings in supposedly safe areas during the
not-so-wee hours of morning.
Geylang is now virtually a no-go zone
for single women on most nights. And if you find yourself in this, Singapore’s
main red-light district, common wisdom will tell you to put your head low and
not draw any attention to yourself. The place swarms with pimps, ruffians, loan
sharks and gang members, as well as teeming masses of low-paid, fly-by-night
illegal casino racketeers, and sexually and economically frustrated foreign
workers.
Let’s also not forget that we’re experiencing a full-blown
recession. And there have been many documented cases of foreign workers getting
laid off by their companies two to three months after setting foot in Singapore.
These are men who have paid sums of $8,000-10,000 to agents back home for secure
employment in Singapore, and to have them roaming the streets disaffected,
disenchanted, bitter and penniless is a recipe for crime.
CCTV cameras and
alarms, hitherto alien pieces of technology, have started to make their way to
HDB estates. This is because there has been a huge spike in cases involving loan
sharks defacing properties of loan-defaulting debtors; more are turning to this
ill-reputed lot to ease their recession-induced money woes. The police too are
thinking of wiring up whole blocks to deal with the menace. This shows that
people have been feeling a lot less secure recently.
Trevor Ding (not his
real name), a Singapore PR, was standing with another friend at a Joo Chiat
coffee shop when he was assaulted in an unprovoked incident. “One minute I was
standing by the curb, the next minute somebody loomed up, splashed his tea on my
friend’s face and cracked the teacup on my skull,” says Ding. “And then made off
into the night.”
Ding says the assailant probably came out of one the many
KTV joints nearby. He made a police report but nothing came of it. “The people
in the mamak stall who saw the incident didn’t want to help,” says Ding. “They,
at least, could have helped police with investigations but they didn’t step
forward.”
Is such an example a blip? Is there a seedy underbelly waiting to
be unearthed? Will Singaporeans’ unwillingness to come forward as witnesses
contribute to more crimes being committed? How should members of the public
react, given that there is no word from the authorities on late-night assaults,
thefts and intimidation?
These are disconcerting questions without any readily found answers. Although in general Singapore continues to be safe, it is not something we should take for granted. Already there are signs and stories that our city may not be as safe at night as it touts itself to be.
