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Kotaro Fuma
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Jan 11, 2011
More young people caught for loansharking
By Tham Yuen-C
Between January and November last year, police caught 159 young people aged 19 years and below who were involved in loansharking and related harassment activities. -- PHOTO: NP
MORE young people were arrested for loansharking last year against the year before, many of them lured by the promise of easy money.
Between January and November last year, police caught 159 young people aged 19 years and below who were involved in loansharking and related harassment activities, a 12 per cent rise from the 142 nabbed in the same period in 2009.
In the first 11 months of last year, police arrested 1,443 people in total for loansharking and harassment activities, an increase of about 66 per cent from 868 in the same period the year before.
In Parliament on Tuesday, Associate Professor Ho Peng Kee, Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs, revealed these numbers in reply to questions from Nominated MP Paulin Tay Straughan on young people arrested for loansharking activities. He also shed light on the profile of these young offenders.
The majority were between 16 and 19. However, arrests of those under 16 had dropped to 16 last year, from 27 the year before, as a result of an amendment to the Moneylenders Act in January, which made it illegal for adults aged 21 and above to recruit young people below 16 for illegal moneylending activities.
'We believe that the enhanced penalties is one of the reasons why the number of cases has dropped,' said Prof Ho.
Read the full report in Tuesday's edition of The Straits Times