The total number of reported physical crime cases increased by 4.1 per cent to 10,106 in the first half of 2024, from 9,704 in the same period in 2023.

According to a press release by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), in the first half of 2024, the crimes of concern included shop theft, outrage of modesty, voyeurism and theft in dwelling.

Shop theft constituted the highest proportion of reported cases amongst all physical crime cases.

Shop theft accounted for 20 per cent of physical crimes in 1st half of 2024

There were 2,027 cases of shop theft in the first half of 2024, marking an increase of 178 from 1,849 cases in the first half of 2023.

In addition, the number of shop theft cases in the first half of 2024 accounted for 20.1 per cent of the 10,106 crimes reported.

More than half of the shop theft cases involved losses of below S$50.

Shop theft also remains one of the top offences for youths arrested during this period, the SPF added.

For cases involving the arrest of youths, the majority of shop theft cases occurred at supermarkets, beauty shops, personal care/health and wellness shops. Items typically stolen included personal care products, food and beverage, and cosmetics.

What is the SPF doing to address shop theft?

The SPF said they have been actively engaging the public across all age groups to raise awareness of the consequences of committing shop theft through various engagement platforms.

These include school talks, youth engagement programmes, an initiative called Coffee with a Cop, house visits, and crime prevention talks jointly led by the SPF and the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC).

It is also important to recognise the role of retailers in deterring and preventing shop theft given that the majority of cases occurred at their outlets, the SPF added.

As of Jun. 30, 2024, 600 retail outlets including major outlets such as NTUC Fairprice, Sheng Siong, Watsons, Sephora, Popular, Prime Supermarket and Mustafa Centre have come onboard the Shop Theft Awareness for Retailers (STAR) Programme.

Under this programme, the SPF works with retailers to analyse their risk and vulnerabilities to shop theft, as well as install more closed-circuit television cameras (CCTVs) to address the issue.

Majority of outrage of modesty cases involved culprits known to victims

As for outrage of modesty cases, they accounted for seven per cent of all physical crimes reported, with 708 cases in the first half of 2024.

This is a slight increase of 11 from 697 in the same period in 2023.

Most of the cases (434, or 61.3 per cent) involved culprits known to the victims.

As for the locations of such crimes, the top three sites of such cases were residential premises, shopping complexes and the public transport network.

173 cases reported in the first half of 2024 at residential premises compared to 163 in the same period in 2023.

Meanwhile, 77 cases were reported in the first half of 2024 at shopping complexes, compared to 56 in the first half of 2023, while 71 cases reported in the first half of 2024 at the public transport network, down from 87 in the same period last year.

As for the number of outrage of modesty cases reported at nightspots, it dropped to 52 for the first half of 2024 from 70 during the same period in 2023.

The SPF said they will continue to engage public entertainment outlets on Safe Clubbing initiatives, which were rolled out earlier this year.

This includes a training toolkit for staff of such outlets, which emphasises the importance of responsible service while equipping staff with the knowledge and skills to identify signs of binge drinking, intervene early, and handle situations involving intoxicated patrons safely.

Voyeurism cases rose by 2.5 per cent

Voyeurism cases accounted for 2.5 per cent of all physical crime cases, increasing by 28 from 229 cases in the first half of 2023 to 257 cases in the same period in 2024.

Similarly, residential premises, shopping complexes and the public transport network were also the top three locations for such crimes.

78 cases reported in the first half of 2024 were at residential premises, compared to 76 in the same period in 2023. The SPF noted that the majority of cases at residential premises (67 cases or 85.9 per cent) were committed by perpetrators known to the victims such as

boyfriends/ex-boyfriends, fellow tenants or household members.

Meanwhile 44 cases reported in the first half of 2024 were at shopping complexes, compared to 39 in the same period in 2023.

As for the public transport network, 27 cases were reported in the first half of 2024, compared to 24 in the same period in 2023.

The number of cases at sports/swimming complexes also increased by one from 10 in the first half of 2023 to 11 in the same period in 2024.

The cases at shopping complexes, public transport network and sports/swimming complexes typically involved perpetrators unknown to the victims.

The SPF added that the number of voyeurism cases committed on the public transport network has remained stable despite rising ridership.

The police will continue to work with public transport stakeholders and the community to enhance public education and deter would-be perpetrators, such as displaying advisory messages on voyeurism prominently on floor decals at selected MRT stations.

Theft in residential premises

Cases of theft in dwelling in residential premises increased slightly to 431 cases in the first half of 2024, compared to 424 cases in the same period in 2023. These accounted for 4.2 per cent of total physical crimes in the first half of 2024.

Most cases were committed, or suspected to be committed, by culprits known to the victim, such as tenants or roommates, family members, migrant domestic workers, service providers and friends or acquaintances.

Members of the public are encouraged to lock their valuables in a secured spot, even at home, the police said.

Top photo by Naveen Raj via SPF