The overall crime reported in 2009 increased marginally by 0.2% from 33,113 cases in 2008 to 33,186 cases. Overall crime rate2 in 2009 was 665, lower than 684 in 2008. Annex A shows the breakdown of overall crime in 2009 compared to 2008.
As illustrated in Annex A, three of the six crime classes registered increases in 2009 compared to 2008. They are namely:
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Theft and Related Crimes registered 20,445 cases in 2009, an increase from the 19,918 cases in 2008. The main sub-categories which saw increases within this Crime Class were theft in public areas, shop theft and bicycle theft.
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Housebreaking and Related Crimes increased to 1,025 cases in 2009 from a record low of 898 cases in 2008. The rise in cases is largely attributed to break-ins at HDB residential units and education/care centres. For HDB break-ins, culprits would usually gain entry by tampering with the window grille locks. As for the latter, the lack of security alarm systems could have led to more cases. Despite the rise in cases, the offence of housebreaking registered 942 cases in 2009, which is the 4th lowest in the last 60 years. In addition, a total of 25 serial offenders responsible for at least 261 cases of housebreaking were also arrested in 2009.
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Crimes Against Persons, which refers to crimes where the victim suffers bodily harm as a result of the crime, increased slightly in 2009, with 4,422 cases compared to 4,393 in 2008. The increase can be attributed to increases in criminal intimidation, outrage of modesty and rape cases. Outrage of modesty increased from 1,236 to 1,273 cases (+3%) while rape cases increased from 167 to 202 cases (+21%) respectively.
Three crime classes which registered decreases in 2009 compared to 2008 were:
- Miscellaneous Crimes registered 3,184 cases in 2009, a decrease from 3,454 cases in 2008. Decreases were registered in various offences such as Corrosive and Explosive Substances and Offensive Weapons Act, affray and Computer Misuse Act.
- Violent Property Crimes, which refers to crimes which involve the taking of money or property by force or threat of force, decreased to 751 cases in 2009 from 962 cases in 2008. The decrease can be attributed mainly to a fall in the number of robbery cases recorded in 2009 as compared to 2008, from 929 to 713 cases (or -23%).
- Commercial Crimes, comprising mainly cheating and related offences, registered a drop to 3,359 cases in 2009 compared to the 3,488 cases in 2008. This is largely due to the successful efforts of the police in raising public awareness against the various types of cheating scams complemented by the support of various stakeholders such as banks and financial institutions in combating such scams.
2 Crime rate refers to the number of overall crime cases per 100,000 population. |
