Youth in S'pore 'may be carrying weapons as fashion accessories'

Counsellor notes rising number doing so, amid spate of violent crimes involving youth

- Claudia Tan

Young people may be carrying weapons in public as a "fashion accessory", and brandishing them during heated arguments, a counsellor who works with at-risk youth flagged.

Mr Narasimman Tivasiha Mani, co-founder of the charity Impart, said he has seen an increasing number of young people carrying weapons as accessories in the last 10 years.

"Some of these weapons look quite nice, so (young people) buy them and carry them around to show off," he said.

Mr Narasimman, who said some of the weapons can be found on sale on platforms like Carousell, Telegram and Facebook, added that they would be used when these young people get into confrontations with others.

His comments come in the wake of a spate of incidents over the last year that saw young people linked to violent crimes.

In March, a 16-year-old was convicted of rioting with a deadly weapon after he brandished a flick knife at another teen during a group attack, which involved five others aged 13 to 17.

The teen, who has yet to be sentenced, had asked the victim if he wanted to "try the knife".

In September 2024, a 22-year-old man was charged with murder after a brawl in Kitchener Road. Three other men and two women were charged with rioting with a deadly weapon over the same incident.

In June 2024, a 19-year-old was charged with voluntarily causing hurt with a dangerous weapon. He had allegedly slashed a 20-year-old man with a chopper during a fight in Sembawang.

Mr Amalraj Thevar Manivannan, 27, is a friend of Mr Dhinessh Vasie, who died in the Kitchener Road brawl.

"He was so young and there was so much ahead for him," said Mr Amalraj of the 25-year-old victim.