Food, apparel, cosmetics among targeted items as shop thefts rise

977 cases in first four months of 2024, 99 more than the 878 in same period last year, say police

- Wong Shiying and Gracia Yap

In 2023, staff at a clothing store in Ang Mo Kio Central saw a man in his 60s dash out of the shop with a pair of flip-flops that cost $16.90.

They chased him, and when they caught him, he begged for mercy, pleading with the staff to not call the police.

They let him off after he paid for the item.

The police told The Sunday Times on May 18 that there were 977 shop theft cases in the first four months of 2024 99 more than the 878 cases in the same period in 2023.

A spokesman for chain store Watsons said shop theft cases rose by 30 per cent in the first quarter of 2024 from the same period in 2023.

Such cases have risen in recent years, with the figure growing by nearly 50 per cent from 2,652 cases in 2021 to 3,939 in 2023.

In its annual crime statistics released in February, the police said shop theft made up 19.7 per cent of reported physical crime cases in 2023.