Violent crimes at 30-year low but internet scams still a concern: SPF

Singapore’s overall crime rate fell last year with three categories at a 30-year low, Singapore Police Force (SPF) statistics released Friday (10 February) show.

Violent/serious property crimes, housebreaking and related crimes, and theft and related crimes dropped to their lowest levels since 1987, SPF said at an annual crime briefing.

Violent/serious property crimes fell 17.1 per cent from 299 cases in 2015 to 248 cases in 2016. Housebreaking and related crimes declined 16.2 per cent while theft and related crimes decreased 9.5 per cent.

Overall, Singapore’s crime rate dropped 2.6 per cent to 32,964 cases.

But the police said that online cheating scams remain a concern as internet-related crimes continued to rise.

The number of internet love scams rose to 636 cases in 2016 from 385 cases in 2015, with the amount swindled from victims totaling a whopping $24 million.

A new concern has also emerged: China Officials Impersonation Scam. From no cases of the scam reported in previous years, 487 people were cheated of $23 million last year.

In such cases, scammers would call victims in Singapore to inform them that their family members or friends are being detained in China for “violating the law” and ask for a monetary transfer before a release can take place.

Director of the Commercial Affairs Department, David Chew, said members of the public need to be vigilant against crimes.

“In the coming years, the police will continue to fight crime through greater community engagement efforts, inter-agency collaboration and international cooperation with overseas law enforcement agencies,” Chew said.

As part of the efforts, SPF will expand its network of cameras to enhance the security of neighbourhoods and public spaces.

Since the launch of the PolCam campaign in 2012, the police have installed cameras in in 10,000 HDB blocks and multi-storey car parks. Under PolCam 2.0, cameras will be installed at places such as town centres and linkways leading to MRT stations and bus interchanges.