Care to reveal how many cases go unreported cos the poodles refuse to accept the reporting?
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Jan 31, 2009
Crime Situation in S'pore
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Overall crime down <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sujin Thomas
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->THE number of homes broken into fell to a 60-year low last year, with efforts paying off to get home owners to lock up, fit alarms and generally be more security conscious.
Another reason for the continuing downward trend was that more serial burglars were taken off the streets.
Last year 28 were nabbed - compared with 18 the previous year - and they were responsible for nearly a quarter of the 829 break-ins.
In 2007, 866 homes were burgled, which was a dramatic drop from the 1,123 in 2006.
More serial robbers were also arrested last year, leading to a drop in violent crimes against personal property to 960, from 1,027 cases in 2007.
Police nabbed 24 serial offenders responsible for at least 75 robberies, acting either alone or in groups. In 2007, seven such offenders were arrested.
The crimes were committed on streets and in places such as void decks, lifts, taxis and convenience stores.
The highest proportional decrease came from miscellaneous crimes such as vandalism, trespassing and disorderly behaviour, which fell by 7 per cent from 3,609 to 3,356 cases.
Thefts and related crimes as well as commercial crime also fell.
But the police are anticipating that such crimes may rise this year as the financial crisis worsens, said Criminal Investigation Department director Ng Boon Gay.
As more people land in financial difficulties, some may become desperate enough to resort to crime or borrow from illegal moneylenders, he said.
'We may expect to see an increase in the number of thefts, cheating or loanshark harassment cases in the months to come,' said Senior Assistant Commissioner Ng.
Responding to the possibility, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs Alvin Yeo said that there should be more options in sentencing for those who commit crimes because of economic circumstances.
He said: 'They need to be distinguished from hardcore criminals. With the right rehabilitation, they stand a higher chance of success.'
Phone scams, which conned 434 people out of $7.6 million last year, are also a concern among the police, who warn that culprits may come up with new cons to scare or entice victims into handing over cash.
Since August 2007, 33 individuals have been arrested for phone scam offences, 22 of them foreigners from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. Read also:
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>Jan 31, 2009
Crime Situation in S'pore
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Overall crime down <!--10 min-->
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Sujin Thomas
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"-->THE number of homes broken into fell to a 60-year low last year, with efforts paying off to get home owners to lock up, fit alarms and generally be more security conscious.
Another reason for the continuing downward trend was that more serial burglars were taken off the streets.
Last year 28 were nabbed - compared with 18 the previous year - and they were responsible for nearly a quarter of the 829 break-ins.
In 2007, 866 homes were burgled, which was a dramatic drop from the 1,123 in 2006.
More serial robbers were also arrested last year, leading to a drop in violent crimes against personal property to 960, from 1,027 cases in 2007.
Police nabbed 24 serial offenders responsible for at least 75 robberies, acting either alone or in groups. In 2007, seven such offenders were arrested.
The crimes were committed on streets and in places such as void decks, lifts, taxis and convenience stores.
The highest proportional decrease came from miscellaneous crimes such as vandalism, trespassing and disorderly behaviour, which fell by 7 per cent from 3,609 to 3,356 cases.
Thefts and related crimes as well as commercial crime also fell.
But the police are anticipating that such crimes may rise this year as the financial crisis worsens, said Criminal Investigation Department director Ng Boon Gay.
As more people land in financial difficulties, some may become desperate enough to resort to crime or borrow from illegal moneylenders, he said.
'We may expect to see an increase in the number of thefts, cheating or loanshark harassment cases in the months to come,' said Senior Assistant Commissioner Ng.
Responding to the possibility, deputy chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Law and Home Affairs Alvin Yeo said that there should be more options in sentencing for those who commit crimes because of economic circumstances.
He said: 'They need to be distinguished from hardcore criminals. With the right rehabilitation, they stand a higher chance of success.'
Phone scams, which conned 434 people out of $7.6 million last year, are also a concern among the police, who warn that culprits may come up with new cons to scare or entice victims into handing over cash.
Since August 2007, 33 individuals have been arrested for phone scam offences, 22 of them foreigners from China, Taiwan and Malaysia. Read also:
