SINGAPORE: Molestation, Theft On The Rise As Physical Crime Crept up 4.4% Last Year: SPF

Today-Feb 16

Molestation and theft cases increased in 2022 when physical crime rose 4.4 per cent, according to figures released by the Singapore Police Force (SPF) on Thursday (Feb 16).There were 20,193 cases of physical crime reported last year, up from 19,343 cases in 2021 but still lower than pre-pandemic levels. The increase followed the easing of Covid-19 measures and the resumption of more activities in 2022, SPF said in a media release. But when compared with pre-pandemic figures in 2019, the situation has in fact improved, said Assistant Commissioner Gregory Tan, SPF’s acting director of operations. With the acceleration of digitalisation during the pandemic, Mr Tan added that financial crime and fraud, largely cyber-enabled, are expected to continue to escalate. Scam and cybercrime statistics were released separately last week, as police explained that rising scam numbers have overtaken many other types of physical crime and skewed the overall crime indicator. The number of scam and cybercrime cases rose by more than a quarter to 33,669 last year. The number of molestation cases, which made up 8 per cent of all physical crime, rose from 1,474 to 1,610 last year. Almost 60 per cent of the cases involved culprits known to the victim. The police pointed out that molestation cases at nightspots rose from 21 to 129 last year, as public entertainment resumed with Singapore’s emergence from the Covid-19 pandemic. Read more at: https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/molestation-theft-rise-physical-crime-crept-44-last-year-spf-2109686