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.
