Are sexual offenders on our trains giving S'pore a bad name?

Besides penalties and warnings from the authorities, commuters also have a part to play in keeping public spaces safe.

- Clara Lock Assistant Life Editor

In European cities such as Paris and Rome, subway announcements warn passengers to be wary of pickpockets. Riding the train on a recent trip to Rome, I clutch the zippered front of my sling bag close to my chest, grateful that my daily commute back home does not induce such stress.

The irony is that in Singapore, a different kind of threat looms. Announcements and signs in our MRT stations warn would-be offenders: "Molestation and taking upskirt photos are serious offences. Offenders will be handed over to the police."

All this in a city-state regarded in many global rankings as one of the safest countries in the world, and where women regularly say they feel safe walking alone past midnight. The juxtaposition is quite embarrassing.

One such sign is emblazoned on the floor at City Hall MRT station where, about a month ago, thousands of international visitors alighted to attend the F1 Singapore Grand Prix.

As with many large-scale concerts and events hosted here, it went off without a hitch - a point of pride for Singapore Tourism Board chief executive Melissa Ow, who in 2024 said in a Straits Times interview: "When you attend an event here, you know that logistics are going to be professionally managed, and that your personal safety and security will be looked after."

But when the event concludes, might attendees feel leery of getting home on our world-class public transport system?

South Korea's voyeurism epidemic is a cautionary tale. Between 2012 and 2017, 16,201 people were arrested for making illegal spycam recordings of a sexual nature, leading former president Moon Jae-in to acknowledge in 2018 that the problem had become "a part of daily life".

If a similar trend plays out here, will model Singapore become known instead as an "upskirt nation"?

Preventive measures are a good move, but recalcitrants remain.