R 221054Z JAN 09
FM AMEMBASSY SINGAPORE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 6285

UNCLAS SINGAPORE 000072 
 
 
FOR DS/DSS/OSAC, DS/DSS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/DSS/ICI, DS/PSD/PCB, 
DS/DSS/ITA, DS/ICI/PII 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ASEC SN
SUBJECT: SINGAPORE: ANNUAL OSAC CRIME / SAFETY REPORT 
 
¶1.  (U) ANNUAL OSAC CRIME/SAFETY REPORT 
 
¶I. Overall Crime and Safety Situation. Post's assessment 
is that the overall level of crime in Singapore is low. 
Complete crime statistics for 2008 will be published in the 
first quarter of 2009, and Post will report any significant 
changes when the information becomes available from 
Singapore Police Force (SPF) authorities.  The SPF has changed 
the categories of crime statistics it reported for 2008.  Murder, 
rape and vehicle theft are no longer reported as separate 
categories.  Crimes against persons, which include murder, rape 
and rioting, fell 2% during the first half of 2008. 
(Rioting includes crimes associated with public disorder, 
including physical confrontations between several individuals, 
but less than the U.S. definition of a riot).  Specific murder 
and rape statistics are not available for the period, but Post 
believes that the murder rate remains low in this 
city-state of 4.5 million people.  During the first half of 
2007, the SPF reported that murder cases declined to six, compared 
to twelve cases reported for the same period in 2006.  Statistics 
for reported incidents of rape have not been reported for the 
first half of 2008.  During the first half of 2007, reported 
incidents of rape increased to 70 cases, compared to 53 cases 
during the same period in 2006.  Motor vehicle theft was not 
reported as a separate category.  It is now reported with 
theft and related crimes.  For 2008, theft from vehicles increased 
26% compared to the same period in 2007.  Robbery and snatch theft 
targeting elderly persons increased 25% in January - June 2008 
compared to the same period in 2007.  The SPF reported a 3.4% 
increase in all types of theft and related crimes for the first 
half of 2008.  The separate category of commercial crimes is 
reported to have increased 11.7% for the period.  The SPF 
reported that housebreaking and related crimes have decreased 
21.7% for the first half of 2008.  Statistics for Outrage of 
Modesty, a Singaporean crime pertaining to unwanted sexual 
touching, have not been reported for the first half of 2008. 
 
American and Singaporean authorities continue to receive 
complaints from small businesses victimized by credit card 
fraud using Singapore as a transshipment point for criminal 
enterprises elsewhere in the region.  Small American 
businesses shipping goods to customers located in Singapore 
should be aware that thieves may use fraudulent credit card 
information and Singaporean addresses to defraud a business 
of payment for goods and arrange a transshipment of the 
goods to points outside of Singapore.  Some freight 
forwarding companies in Singapore may need to scrutinize 
better all requests to re-label U.S. express air shipments 
with orders for transshipment to Indonesia and other points 
outside Singapore.  Although a shipment's ultimate 
destination may not be readily apparent, businesses should 
thoroughly research all buyers using a shipping address in 
Singapore to ensure the buyer possesses a functioning 
business located in Singapore.  The SPF Commercial Affairs 
Department investigates credit card fraud in Singapore. 
 
Victims of transshipment fraud may research how to report 
the fraud at a U.S. Department of Justice website provided 
in this report under Sources of Information. 
 
Handphones (cellular telephones) have in the past been the 
primary target for robbers and snatch thieves.  The SPF advised 
that handphone-related crimes dropped due to increased public 
education and stricter enforcement against second-hand handphone 
dealers who break laws or regulations.  The SPF has implemented 
an online database of the International Mobile Equipment Identity 
(IMEI) numbers of stolen handphones for easy screening by 
purchasers. 
 
The SPF advises that most telephone scams in Singapore attempt 
to persuade people to make advance payments to claim a prize. 
Sometimes the prize used to lure victims may be the promise of 
a luxury car and other valuables.  Scammers contact victims via 
SMS messages to inform them that they won a "lucky draw."  From 
January to June 2008 180 victims fell prey to the lucky draw scam. 
Police advise that another type of phone scam involves a fabricated 
ransom demand for the kidnapping of a family member.  Sometimes 
scammers claimed that the alleged kidnapped family member failed to 
honor illegal loan repayments, or the family member acted as 
guarantor for the illegal loan.  During January - June 2008, scammers 
cheated 21 victims out of S$322,000.  Another recent trend in 
phone scams involves the impersonation of a Singapore officials 
such as a member of the Supreme Court staff or a police officer. 
The phone scammers, posing as a government official and using 
replicated telephone numbers of authorities, accuse victims 
of a criminal offense and attempt to leverage a money transfer 
as payment for a fine for the crime. 
 
Crime in Singapore is generally non-confrontational, and usually 
opportunistic in nature.  While overall crimes against persons 
have decreased, crimes against elderly persons increased in the first 
half of 2008.  The number of elderly victims of robberies and snatch 
theft increased from 116 in the first half of 2007 to 145 persons in 
 
the same period in 2008.  Generally, elderly citizens are targeted in 
elevators and public areas of public housing complexes, called 
Housing Development Board (HDB) flats in Singapore.  In some cases 
the victims have been injured after being pushed down.  Additionally, 
elderly victims have been targeted at home when thieves have claimed to 
be a utility worker such as an electrician requesting to enter 
the victim's home on the pretext of conducting an inspection. 
Thieves distracted elderly victims by requesting that the occupant 
hold onto materials or remain at an on/off switch while thieves stole 
valuables from the residence.  In January - June 2008, 1015 
incidents of theft from vehicles were reported, compared to 805 
incidents reported in the same period in 2007.  In most incidents 
thieves broke side windows of vehicles and tampered with the rear 
compartment of motorcycles to steal valuables.  Laptop computers were 
stolen in many incidents, often when victims left their vehicle for 
a short time.  Most cases of theft at residential units and 
hotels involve perpetrators who gained entry through unsecured windows 
or doors.  A few incidents of serious crime involved attacks on 
Singaporeans by fellow Singaporeans with blunt instruments, knives 
or other edged weapons.  Most of the incidents involving attacks with 
clubs and edged weapons appeared to involve young adults in and 
around some of Singapore's nightclubs.  These attacks appear to be 
linked to low-level criminal activities.  Specific areas of Singapore, 
including Geylang and lower-cost government housing areas suffered 
from more serious crime, such as muggings, loan-sharking and illicit 
drug use. 
 
Geylang, a known red light district, and other specific locations 
harbor activities such as prostitution.  Because firearms are 
unavailable and strictly controlled, edged-weapons are the weapons 
of choice for serious attackers in Singapore.  Comparatively speaking, 
the crime rate in Singapore remains much lower than in most other 
major cities around the world; however, residents and visitors should 
be aware of their environment and exercise the same amount of caution 
they would in any other large city. 
 
 
II. Political Violence.  Singapore remains relatively free 
from civil unrest, political instability and credible 
terrorism threats.  The Government of Singapore (GOS) 
frequently cautions its citizens that while the Jemaah 
Islamiyah (JI) cell has been severely disrupted within 
Singapore, it has by no means been eradicated.  Mohammad Hasan 
bin Saynudin, a Singaporean on trial in Indonesia on charges 
relating To alleged JI associated crimes, told the press in 
January 2009 that He had plotted to attack targets including 
Singapore's Changi Airport In 2000.  During 2007, the Singaporean 
press reported that Singaporean authorities had detained several 
Singaporeans for supporting extremist activities.  It was 
reported that one of the detainees was a well educated, former 
Singaporean professional, who became a self-radicalized militant 
through accessing radical Islamist websites on the Internet. 
Several Singaporean press articles stated that home-grown, 
self-radicalized terrorists may become a security issue for 
Singapore in the future.  On February 27, 2008 Singaporean JI member 
Mas Selamat bin Kastari escaped from detention in Singapore. 
Kastari has not been located.  Terrorist attacks may occur in 
Southeast Asian nations, including Singapore, because extremist groups 
present in Southeast Asia have demonstrated transnational 
capabilities to carry out attacks against locations where 
westerners congregate.  Terrorist groups do not distinguish 
between official and civilian targets.  Prudent measures should 
continue to be taken by business establishments, clubs, hotels, 
resorts, tourist areas, schools, churches and other soft targets 
facilities frequented by foreigners  and where Americans congregate. 
Travelers should be vigilant when using public conveyances 
such as buses, subways, trains, planes and ferries. 
 
Singaporean officials frequently emphasize the importance 
of community involvement and preparedness as critical 
elements in national security, as well as the importance of 
the commercial sector in effectively fighting terrorism.  Police 
encourage and utilize neighborhood policing efforts such as 
neighborhood watches and business-based cooperatives to detect 
and report crime.  In addition to community-based neighborhood 
watch groups, the GOS has organized corporate-based groups. 
In 2003 the GOS introduced the Safety & Security Watch Group 
(SSWG) as a police-networking platform for commercial sector 
members to collaborate on target hardening for facilities 
located in a geographic common area.  In 2006 the GOS launched 
the Corporate First Responder (CFR) scheme to enable business 
facility managers to identify key personnel who will be allowed 
into cordoned areas in the aftermath of an incident to assist 
with rescue, recovery and investigation efforts, as well as 
conduct business continuity efforts.  Previously the GOS provided 
counterterrorist briefings to over 40,000 registered taxi drivers, 
encouraging the drivers to report suspicious activities, passengers, 
and conversations in their cabs.  And in January 2006, early on a 
Sunday morning, the GOS conducted an unannounced civil emergency 
exercise based on the terrorist attacks on public transportation 
networks in London and Madrid.  Additionally, the SPF utilizes 
random, tactical foot patrols from the Special Operations 
Command to deter, detect and prevent political violence attacks. 
 
Singapore does not generally issue permits for any potential 
demonstrations, regardless of their nature, and it is against the 
law for five or more people to congregate for such purposes. 
 
III. Post-specific concerns.  Singapore has not recently 
experienced natural disasters such as typhoons, tsunamis 
and earthquakes.  Visitors to Singapore should be 
knowledgeable with regard to the severe penalties for 
narcotics trafficking - up to and including the death 
penalty.  Despite these laws, drugs can be found in 
Singapore, and young people frequenting nightclubs should 
be particularly vigilant and remain aware of their 
surroundings.  Incidents of individuals unknowingly 
ingesting a drug placed in a drink occasionally occur, and 
visitors should exercise as they would in any major U.S. city. 
 
IV. The police are consistently professional and any report 
involving a crime incident will be handled in accordance 
with the prescribed regulations.  Police harassment is not 
a problem in Singapore, and assistance can be readily 
obtained by dialing the standard emergency number, 999. 
Every district within Singapore has a dedicated 
neighborhood police center, and any neighborhood police 
center will accept the filing of a police report, not just in 
the district where the crime took place.  Companies posting 
personnel in Singapore should conduct security and cultural 
awareness training for the employee and all family 
members.  Rude and disorderly behavior, particularly 
directed against women, is prohibited.  The offense for 
inappropriate behavior toward women is called Outrage of 
the Modesty, and it is often strictly enforced.  The law can 
be used to protect men from inappropriate behavior as well. 
 
¶V. Medical services in Singapore are on par with those of 
the United States and other "First World" capitals. 
Singapore is a U.S. Government regional medical evacuation 
(medevac) destination.  The U.S. Centers for Disease 
Control (CDC) lauded Singapore's medical community 
during the SARS crisis for their honest reporting and 
heroic efforts in containing the virus.  As a result, 
Singapore was removed relatively early from the CDC's list 
of countries to avoid.  Singapore's plan for dealing with 
the current threat of Avian Influenza is considered among 
the best in the world by the World Health Organization. 
Singapore actively monitors the situation and has enacted a 
disease surveillance system to detect any human cases of 
Avian Influenza imported into Singapore.  Additionally, 
Singapore has precautionary measures in place to ensure 
that no infected birds are imported into Singapore.  It 
also has a contingency plan to deal with any outbreak of 
Avian Influenza in any of Singapore's poultry farms. 
 
VI. Visitors should take normal big city precautions for 
their personal safety and security.  Avoid carrying excess 
cash and credit cards and use credit cards only at 
reputable establishments.  After using a credit card, check 
your receipts to assure that the proper charges have been 
made and compare those receipts with your monthly 
statement.  Always remain alert in crowded public areas 
like hotel lobbies, subway stations, shopping centers and 
tourist areas where many pick-pocket and other common petty 
crimes occur.  While staying in hotels, always use the 
hotel safe deposit box or in-room safe for your valuables 
and never leave personal and/or financial information 
unattended.  Heed all warnings with regard to soft targets 
and potential terrorist threats.  Know how to contact local 
emergency services for police, fire and medical.  For fire 
safety, upon check in at a hotel, immediately learn the 
emergency escape routes and physically walk from your room 
out of the building.  You should never wait until an actual 
emergency to try and put together a plan.  Finally, if you 
become victim of a crime, file a police report.  The police 
must know that a crime occurred in order to be more 
responsive to future problems. 
 
VII. Embassy Singapore has an OSAC country council, which 
operates as a separate entity under the American Chamber of 
Commerce (AmCham) organization due to difficulties 
incorporating such organizations in Singapore.  For 
specific information contact the regional security officer 
at the American Embassy.  Tel:  (65) 6476-9453, fax:  (65) 
6476 - 9040.  Also visit the U.S. Embassy homepage cited 
below.  One of the best sources for overseas security 
information is the OSAC electronic bulletin board.  Travel 
advisories, country background notes, and links to other US 
government travel and security services are also available 
on the Internet. 
 
Sources of information: 
 
For Background Notes and other State Department services 
use the Department of State home page: 
http://www.state.gov 
 
For travel advisories use the Bureau of Consular Affairs 
home page: http://travel.state.gov/travel 
 
For Diplomatic Security Service information: 
http://www.state.gov/m/ds/ 
 
U.S. Embassy Singapore home page: 
http://singapore.usembassy.gov/ 
 
OSAC website:   http://www.osac.gov/ 
 
U.S. Department of Justice fraud webpage: 
http://www.usdoj.gov/whatwedo/whatwedoif.html 
 
For information on Avian Influenza in Singapore consult the 
Ministry of Home Affairs' home page: 
http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/hottopics/avian_fl u/info.do 
 
Information from the Singapore Police Force (SPF) pertaining 
to crime can be obtained at the SPF home page: 
www.spf.gov.sg 
 
SPF Electronic Police Center (ePC): 
http://www.spf.gov.sg/epc/epclinks.html# 
 
SPF links for the deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired 
Emergency Service: SMS 70999 
 
 
Important contact numbers for Singapore: 
 
     US Embassy switchboard:  (65) 6476- 9100 
     Singapore police emergency operator:  999 
     Singapore fire and medical emergency:  995 
     Orchard Neighborhood Police Centre, 51 Killiney Road, 
     Singapore 239572: 
     -Orchard Road shopping district 1 800 735-9999 (toll 
     free) 
     Central Police Division Headquarters: 
     -Central business district 1 800 224-0000 (toll free) 
 Tanglin Police Division Headquarters: 
     -Central shopping district 1 800 391-0000 (toll free) 
 
End OSAC crime report. 
 
 
Visit Embassy Singapore's Classified website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/singapore/ind ex.cfm 
 
 
SHIELDS