Yishun is safe, come for the nasi lemak: Nee Soon Town Council
Contrary to “cheeky” news articles and its reputation as an unsafe area, Yishun is actually one of the safer neighbourhoods in Singapore, said the Nee Soon Town Council (NSTC).
In a post on its official website last Thursday (4 October) entitled “The Truth About Crime and Order in Yishun”, the NSTC cited statistical evidence from singstats.gov.sg showing that, at the very least, the northern town is just like any other town in Singapore.
“With all the facts on our side, it is clear that Yishun is simply a misunderstood neighbourhood,” said the post.
The post looked at cases of five preventable crimes in 2016 – robbery, housebreaking, snatch theft, theft of motor vehicle and outrage of modesty.
It found that, of the 36 neighbourhood police centres (NPCs), Yishun North was ranked 18th for the number of such cases, while Yishun South was in 29th.
The number of crimes recorded by Yishun North NPC also halved between 2010 and 2016, while the number of five preventable crimes decreased by 59 per cent in the same period.
In the same years, unlicensed moneylending and related harassment cases also plunged by 55 per cent. In 2016, the NPC had only one robbery and one snatch theft case.
In recent years, Yishun has become a running joke among the online community in Singapore, gaining notoriety for bad news and strange happenings. These include cat killings, brothel raids, rat problems and even civilians trying to attack policemen with stun guns.
Yishun has inspired YouTube spoof videos and even a website documenting crimes in the area,
But in the NSTC post, Nee Soon GRC MP and town council chairman Louis Ng said, “Yishun residents I’ve spoken to feel that our town is not unsafe. In fact, it’s a close-knit community that looks out for each other. They also feel sad that online media is repeating this myth about Yishun.”
The post concluded, “Yishun is safe, and the statistics speak for themselves. So, do come here for your nasi lemak!”
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