CRIMINALS are moving from industrial estates to homes and
education centres, according to half-year crime statistics released
yesterday.
There were 327 break-ins to Housing Board flats and private homes
so far this year, compared to 204 in the first six months of last
year.
Burglaries at education and childcare centres have more than
doubled, from just 21 cases in the first half of last year to 53 so
far.
In all, there were 792 burglaries reported so far.
Director of police public affairs, Senior Assistant Commissioner
(SAC) Tan Puay Kern said the figures do not mean there are more
burglars out there.
Fourteen serial burglars were responsible for 199 cases. Last year,
12 people committed 102 break-ins.
Nevertheless, the crime statistics do not make for cheerful
reading.
Police described the year 2005 as 'challenging' with 21,285 crimes
reported so far, compared to 16,617 for the first half of last
year. The largest increases were for housebreaking, robbery and
snatch thefts.
The last time such a high number of crimes was recorded was during
the recession in 1998, with 21,136 cases reported in the first half
year.
'We are not ruling out macroeconomic factors such as unemployment,
and are looking into the background of the offenders,' said SAC
Tan.
'We are exploring if they are repeat offenders and if they have
previous drug convictions.'
Despite the less-than-upbeat crime situation, police stressed that
the crime rate is low, for a city state of 4.1 million
people.
He said: 'We've not harked back to the 70s and 80s when the crime
rate here was two to three times higher. Despite the increase in
population, crime is not even as high.'
Crimes such as housebreaking and handphone thefts are preventable
if people took care of their personal safety.
In several housebreaking cases, residents had left windows and
doors unsecured. Childcare and education centres need spend only $1
a day to have an alarm installed on the premises.
Armed robbers are also terrorising more people. So far this year,
13 people have been arrested for committing 53 robberies. In the
first half of last year, three serial robbers were responsible for
21 attacks.
Last Tuesday, a housewife in her 40s came face-to-face with a man
armed with a 20cm-long knife when she opened the rear gate of her
sixth-floor apartment in the posh Holland Hill Mansions
condominium.
He demanded her jewellery and grabbed her blouse but she slipped
free and dashed into the apartment.
He followed her in and snatched her $1,200 chain, $800 pendant and
$789 bracelet before fleeing.
Drink driving cases were also up significantly, with 1,994 people
caught so far, due to tougher enforcement.
A 10-hour operation last weekend, for example, led to 11 motorists
being arrested. Seven of those arrested had been involved in
accidents, four of which took place along expressways.
Over the last three weeks, three motorcyclists and a lorry driver -
all suspected to have been drink driving - have died in separate
traffic accidents.
