Increase in knife-related incidents, shop thefts and voyeurism

10 murders in 2024—the highest in 5 years; but fewer rape cases—401, from 436 in 2023

- David Sun

The number of physical crime cases in 2024 has remained stable, but the police are concerned about the rising number of shop theft and voyeurism cases.

On Feb 17, the police announced their annual physical crime statistics for 2024. There were a total of 19,969 reported cases of physical crime, up by three cases from the 19,966 in 2023.

The top crimes of concern in 2024 were shop theft, outrage of modesty and voyeurism.

Shop theft was the most common physical crime, accounting for more than 21 percent of the total number, with cases increasing by 7.6 percent from 3,939 in 2023 to 4,237 in 2024.

The police said retail outlets commonly targeted included FairPrice at Jurong Point, Watsons at Suntec City mall and Cold Storage at Plaza Singapura.

When contacted, spokesmen for the FairPrice Group and the DFI Retail Group, which runs Giant and Cold Storage supermarkets, declined to reveal shop theft figures.

But a Watsons spokesman said there were 20 percent more cases in the past year.

Other countries like Australia, New Zealand and the US have also seen a recent surge in shop theft and retail crime owing to the rising cost of living.