Floating Body Found In Luggage Trolley Bag At Sentosa - Murder Suspect Arrested

Swift action by Police has resulted in the arrest of a 44-year-old Chinese Singaporean man in connection with the suspected murder of a 28-year-old Chinese Singaporean man whose body was found in a luggage trolley bag at Sentosa on the morning of 16 April 2011.

On 16 April 2011, at about 8.40am, Police received a call informing us that a luggage trolley bag containing a decomposed male body was found floating near the shore in the waters off the Sentosa Gate construction site. The deceased was established to be Wong Teck Siong, a 28-year-old male Singaporean.

Police immediately commenced intensive investigations into the case. Despite the condition of the body, the officers from the Special Investigation Section of the Criminal Investigation Department managed to establish the identity of the suspect and swiftly placed him under arrest this afternoon.

Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Assistant Commissioner of Police Hoong Wee Teck commended his officers for their perseverance, resourcefulness and excellent investigative skills that led to the successful arrest. AC Hoong said, “Murder is a capital offence. The Police will spare no effort to ensure that those responsible for such crimes are brought swiftly to justice. I wish to commend the officers for their skill and perseverance in securing the necessary evidence and promptly arresting the suspect despite the challenges posed by the decomposed state of the body. ”

The suspect will be charged in Court on 18 April 2011 for the offence of Murder under Section 302 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries the death penalty.

Singapore Police busted syndicate distributing pirated games and providing illegal modification services

Police have arrested seven men, aged between 19 and 34, who are believed to be members of a syndicate involved in distributing pirated games and providing illegal modification services which allowed pirated games to be played on modified game consoles.

In a 13-hour long operation which commenced on 13 April 2011 at about 1pm, officers from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) raided three retail shops located in Jurong West, Taman Jurong and Boon Keng. During the raid, modified game consoles from Nintendo DS, Wii and Sony PlayStation Portables, pirated games, counterfeit accessories, laptops, hard disks, and memory sticks containing circumvention programs used to modify the game consoles were found in all three retail shops. The estimated street value of the infringing items was close to S$36,000/-.

The successful operation came after several months of intensive intelligence operations, where CID officers established the identities of the suspects who were members of a local syndicate that provided the illegal modification services for game consoles. The syndicate’s retail shops had legitimate shop-fronts with typical counters, racks and shelving to display retail goods. However, behind partitioned walls, illegal modifications to game consoles were carried out and pirated games were downloaded.

Head of the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the CID , Superintendent of Police Loh Kah Wai, said, "Police take a serious view of such intellectual property rights violations, and will continue to clamp down on syndicates involved in the modification of game consoles and the sale of counterfeit games in Singapore. Circumvention of built-in anti-piracy controls carries a heavy fine and imprisonment, and offenders will be prosecuted in Court.”

Persons found guilty of providing counterfeit products shall be liable to a fine not exceeding $10,000 for the article or for each article in respect of which the offence was committed or $100,000, whichever is lower, or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding five years, or to both.

Thief responsible for house break-ins around Punggol Drive nabbed

Police have arrested a 38-year-old man who is believed to be responsible for a series of break-ins at newly-completed units located along Punggol Drive.

This what we usually call “akyat bahay”. 

The term used to refer to notorious criminal gangs who rob houses by scaling through the roof, window, or any part of the house that allows access inside it.

Also refers to the manner of stealing by surreptitiously entering a victim’s house by climbing its walls to gain access to a window or force an opening through the roof or the wall.

Between January 2011 and April 2011, a number of break-ins were reported at newly completed units which were undergoing final renovation works along Punggol Drive. The culprit would usually target units that were secured by combination padlocks, and break in to steal newly purchased electrical appliances such as televisions, media entertainment systems and other household and personal items of value.

Through extensive enquiries and follow up investigation, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the identity of the suspect. On 8 April 2011 at about 1.30pm , the suspect was arrested at the vicinity of Woodlands Ring Road. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspect is believed to have broken into at least seven units and had stolen items worth a total of about S$30,000/-.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 9 April 2011 for Housebreaking and Theft by Night under Section 457 of the Penal Code which carries a maximum of 14 years' imprisonment.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun advised home owners to ensure that their units are properly secured with strong locks.

26-year-old pickpocket arrested in Harbourfront Centre

A SERIAL thief who stole from his victims by slitting their pockets with a razor blade, was caught on Monday.

The 26-year-old man struck mostly in the Ang Mo Kio area, targeting those who were napping in void decks or pavilions within the estate. Using a razor blade, he slit open their pockets and made off with the victims' valuables.

Several of such cases had been reported in February and April.

However, the man was arrested at Harbourfront Centre on Monday, and is currently suspected of being responsible for nine more similar cases in Ang Mo Kio.

He will be charged in court on Wednesday.

Handbag snatcher on a stolen motorcycle arrested

Not even Singapore is safe with this kind of petty crime activity anymore…..

Singapore Police have arrested a 44-year-old man who is believed to be involved in a case of snatch theft using a stolen motorcycle.

A 32-year-old woman was walking along Akyab Road when a man riding a motorcycle suddenly snatched her handbag and sped off.

Through extensive enquiries and follow-up investigation, officers from Tanglin Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity and arrested him at his home on 4 April 2011 . Preliminary investigations reveal that the suspect had stolen the motorcycle that was used to commit the snatch theft. The victim’s handbag and the stolen motorcycle were successfully recovered. The suspect is believed to be involved in other similar cases and police investigations are ongoing.

The suspect will be charged in Court on 6 April 2011 for the offences of Snatch Theft and Theft of a Motor Vehicle under Section 356 and Section 379A of the Penal Code respectively. If convicted, the suspect faces a jail term of up to 7 years and caning.

Commander of Tanglin Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Koh Yak Leng advised motorcycle owners to park at well-lit areas, lock their motorcycle before leaving even if it is for a short while, and secure their motorcycle using additional strong locks.

Three Pinoys charge for stealing jewelries in Valuemax Retail Pawnshop

Well, another bad news for the Filipino community in Singapore…..

Valuemax Pawnshop Pte Ltd, 513 Tampines Centra

Police have cracked a jewellery theft syndicate comprising 3 male Filipinos aged 54 to 63 years-old. The trio is believed to have stolen jewellery worth a total of about $120, 000/- from several goldsmith shops and pawnshops.

They are: Balajadia Porfirio Leabres, 54; Valbarez Fidel Iv Martelino, 56 and Banal Eduardo Cruz, 62.

It is believed the trio committed the offence at Valuemax pawnshop at Block 513, Tampines Central 1 at around 3pm on March 26.

In these cases, the trio targeted the shops when they were crowded during the peak hours. The suspects took turns to ask counter staff to show them various pieces of jewellery. While the staff was distracted, one suspect would use his body to block the view of the staff while another took the opportunity to steal jewellery from unsecured display cabinets unnoticed. After committing the theft, the suspects would offer excuses and leave quickly.

Through extensive follow-up investigation, officers from Bedok Police Division managed to establish the identity of the suspects. On 4 April 2011 at about 2pm, Police mounted an operation and arrested the suspects in the vicinity of Geylang Road. Several pieces of jewellery, which are believed to be stolen, were successfully recovered. Preliminary investigations indicate that the suspects are involved in a total of 5 similar cases.

The suspects will be charged in Court for Theft in Dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code, which is punishable with a jail term of up to 7 years and a fine.

Singapore jailed three men for using counterfeit money

Three men are jailed for using counterfeit money printed from a home printer.

Three men were jailed for using counterfeit currencies. Narindran Sangara Banoi, 31, who made the Singapore currency notes and passed them to his accomplices, received the highest sentence of eight years. He pleaded guilty to 15 of 55 charges.

Jegathesan Subramaniam, 31, who had 10 charges for conspiring with Narindran in August 2010 on two occasions to use a fake S$50 note to pay for cab fares, was jailed for three years.

A third man, Ramer Rethina Thevar Ramanathan, 42, was sentenced to two years and three months jail after pleading guilty to using fake S$50 notes to pay for a bar of chocolate and a pair of sunglasses.

A fourth accomplice, Segar Ramiah, 37, had his plea rejected earlier. A pre-trial conference date is set for Feb 24.

Local media reported that Narindran used his colour printer to scan and print Singapore currency notes in denominations of S$2, S$10 and S$50, which had a total worth of S$3,970 as he was facing financial difficulties.

He then told Jagethesan, Ramer and his relative, Segar, about the counterfeit notes.

The fake notes were to be used by either himself, or with any one of his accomplices. He also supplied the other three with fake currency for their own use.

They could have been jailed for up to 20 years and fined on each charged.

26 year-old man arrrested in a series of online cheating scams.

Police have arrested a 26 year-old man who is believed to be involved in a series of online cheating scams.

On 22 March 2011 , a 34 year-old man lodged a Police report on his encounter with an online scammer. According to the complainant, he had responded to an online advertisement and befriended a girl. Shortly after, the complainant received an SMS from an unknown person claiming that he was the father of the said girl. The unknown person then accused the complainant of ‘sexually grooming’ his daughter who was underaged and threatened to report the matter to the Police unless the complainant paid him a sum of $3200. Sensing that something was amiss, the complainant decided to report the matter to the Police.

Through extensive follow-up investigations, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity and arrested him at Changi Airport on 24 March 2011 at about 11.00 pm  as he was about to leave Singapore. Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect is believed to be involved in at least 7 other similar cases where victims were cheated of more than $9,000 in total.

The suspect will be charged in the Court on 26 March 2011 for Cheating under Section 420 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 10 years and shall also be liable to be fine.

Singapore Police: Appeal for information to a theft at a supermarket in Changi Airport Terminal 1

Have you seen this man?

Singapore Police are looking for the man shown in the photo to assist with investigations into a case of theft at a supermarket located at Changi Airport Terminal 1 on 19 Jan 2011 .

The man is believed to be a male Chinese in his late 30s and was last seen wearing a striped polo-shirt. He was also seen carrying a black haversack and a green paper bag.

Anyone with information on the man is requested to call the Police hotline at 1800-255-0000. All information will be kept strictly confidential.

Singapore Immigration (ICA) Officer charged with three counts of forging medical certificates

An officer from the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) was charged on Tuesday with three counts of forgery.

Mohammad Rahimi Hussain, 24, is believed to have doctored three medical certificates in a flat at Block 750, Woodlands Avenue 4, in August and September last year.

Each of the three documents he allegedly forged originally stated that he had been given a day's leave.

It's believed that Mohammad Rahimi inflated the rest period the doctors had given him to up to four days.

He will be back in court on March 29.

If convicted of forgery, he could be jailed up to four years, fined or both on each charge.

Three woman behind bars for shoplifting in Mustafa Shopping Centre

Image via Wikipedia

Three women were jailed on Tuesday for shoplifting at Mustafa Centre in Little India.

Mustafa Centre is Singapore's only 24-hour shopping mall, which is located on Syed Alwi Road in Little India.

Two of them, 32-year-old Hawa Nachia A Muhammad Yassin and her sister-in-law, 35-year-old Najmudeen Saharjath, will each have to spend 12 weeks behind bars.

The housewives had worked together with an alleged accomplice, Najmudeen's husband Mohammed Riaz, to steal more than $$2,500 worth of clothes, stationery and toiletries from the 24-hour store on Jan 15.

According to court documents, the trio arrived at the store at around 8.45pm that day and stuffed the items into Mustafa Centre shopping bags which they found discarded on the premises.

But they were stopped in their tracks by the store's security as they were heading for the exits.

The two women, who were unrepresented, pleaded for leniency, saying they had to care for their children.

Both of them appeared distraught when District Judge Roy Neighbour handed them their sentence.

Muhammad Riaz, a 40-year-old cab driver, hasn't been dealt with. He will be back in court on Thursday next week.

In another case, a 35-year-old retail assistant, Siti Farah Sheik Zainal Abdin, was sentenced to a day's jail and fined $2,000 after stealing more than $300 worth of items from the store.

She was caught when an anti-theft alarm was triggered.

Kallang crime slashings: 2 jailed for gang robbery

Cleaner Sylvester Beragok, 26, was sentenced to 6 years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane.

 

TWO of the seven men arrested for the Kallang slashings were sentenced to six years' jail and 12 strokes of the cane on Thursday for gang robbery.

Cleaner Sylvester Beragok, 26, and labourer Landa Sulai, 28, both from Sarawak, had originally claimed trial, together with Peter Usit Musa, 22, to the charges.

Sylvester and Landa changed their pleas to guilty, after the court had ruled that their statements to the police were made voluntarily. Peter, however, maintains his innocence and his trial is ongoing.

Sylvester and Landa admitted robbing Chinese national Wang Jiu Sheng, 47, of his $230 mobile phone when one or more of the duo's accomplices had used a parang. The attack took place at a grass path beside the pavement under the MRT track near Lorong 17 Geylang on May 28 2010.

Three of their accomplices, Micheal Garing, 22, Hairee Landak, 21, and Tony Imba, 32, are facing a murder charge each and the matter is still at pre-trial conference stage. In the gang robbery, Mr Wang suffered a deep cut of four fingers on his left hand.

Last October, another East Malaysian, Shahman Milak, 21, was given two years and ordered to be given six strokes of the cane for attempted robbery. The duo could have been jailed for up to 20 years and caned.

Philippines Becoming Southeast Asia’s Terror Hotspot according to FTI-International Risk

Not so good news about the Philippines compared to its Southeast Asian neighbors.

 

Bloomberg: The Philippines has overtaken Indonesia and Thailand as the country facing the greatest threat from terrorism, according to FTI-International Risk, a security consultancy.

While the Philippines has made progress in containing the threat from armed groups such as the Abu Sayyaf, Moro Islamic Liberation Front and New Peoples’ Army, it lagged behind other countries in the region, FTI-International Risk’s Chairman Steve Vickers said in a report released today.

The U.S. State Department renewed its travel warning for the Philippines on Nov. 2, citing an October bus bombing that killed 10 people and warning attacks could extend “to include Manila.” Philippines ranks 130 out of 149 countries in the 2010 Global Peace Index compiled by the Sydney-based Institute of Economics & Peace. Thailand ranked 124, and Pakistan 145.

“Pakistan, southern Thailand and southern Philippines are the places where, unless you have a very compelling reason, you should not be going without professional support,” Vickers, who formerly commanded the Hong Kong Police Criminal Intelligence Bureau, said in a phone interview today.

Indonesia’s counter-terrorism program was successful in 2010, he said. Little progress had been made in tackling an insurgency in southern Thailand because the government there was distracted by violent protests in Bangkok, the FTI report said.

FTI-International Risk is a subsidiary of Palm Beach, Florida-based FTI Consulting Inc. that offers investigation and security consultancy services.

Isolated Trouble

The trouble in the Philippines is largely isolated in the south of the country, and while the government has made progress in suppressing the Abu Sayyaf, “in quiet times, you see them going back to what they do best, which is small-scale kidnapping and ransom,” Vickers said. “Some of it is purely criminal and has no link to terror groups,” he said.

Edwin Lacierda, a spokesman for Philippines President Benigno Aquino, said the report overstated the threat.

“It’s a matter of perception,” Lacierda said at a regular televised briefing. “The threat is not as grave as the think tank assesses it.”

The southern Philippine island of Mindanao is home to the al-Qaeda-linked Abu Sayyaf and a stronghold for the military wing of the Communist Party, the New People’s Army, both branded terror organizations by the U.S.

Between 2005 and 2010, 1,536 people were killed in terror attacks in the Philippines, including those staged by the two groups, according to the U.S. National Counter-Terrorism website.

Two days ago, suspected Muslim militants killed five businessmen in the southern Philippine province of Basilan, Xinhua news service reported, citing an official.

Xstrata Attacks

Communist rebels have staged attacks on mining assets in the Philippines, derailing the government’s plan to attract overseas investors. At least two attacks on Xstrata Plc’s Tampakan copper project in Mindanao were staged in 2008.

The NPA has a policy of imposing taxes on state and private infrastructure projects within the areas of its operations, Satur Ocampo, a co-founder of the National Democratic Front, an alliance of organizations including the New People’s Army and the Communist Party of the Philippines, said in a 2009 interview. He declined to give an estimate of the tax collected.

A study three years earlier by Philippine Institute for Development Studies put the levy at between 5 percent and 10 percent.

Bombing cellular phone towers and other infrastructure is a way for rebels to assert their authority, Ocampo said.

‘Plain Banditry’

“It’s one form for the revolutionary government to demonstrate its political and military authority, to deliver a message to the contractors,” Ocampo said. “Of course, the government claims this is plain banditry.”

President Benigno Aquino’s government said in December the government will ensure security in mining sites and that the NPA’s extortion threatens investment.

The armed conflict in Mindanao between the government and the Muslim rebels resulted in an economic loss of more than $10 billion between 1975 and 2002, according to the World Bank.

The International Risk report’s findings “might affect the new investors” who rely on risk consultancy firms, said Earl Parreno, an analyst at the Institute for Political and Economic Reforms in Manila.

Aquino, who started his six-year term in June, vowed to fight corruption and bolster investments as he seeks to expand the economy by at least 7 percent starting this year. His government plans to pitch to investors more than 700 billion pesos ($15.9 billion) of road, port and railway projects.

source: Bloomberg

Singapore Police advises public on variations of Phone Scams

Scammers are coming up with new and innovative phone scams to convince victims to part with their money. There are many variations to phone scams. The most common ones are the Lottery Scam, Kidnap Scam and Impersonation Scam.

Lottery Scams!
Tricksters may call from overseas, email or SMS the recipients, informing them that they have won prize money in a foreign lottery. The tricksters would request for an advance payment in order to process the claims for prizes.

Kidnap Scams!
Tricksters would claim that the recipient's loved one had been kidnapped and demand that a ransom be transferred to specific bank account. These fake threats are usually accompanied by sounds of cries for help in the background.

Impersonation Scams!
Tricksters would impersonate law enforcement officials, advising victims to remit or transfer money to designated bank accounts in order to exonerate themselves from alleged crimes. These common allegations include failure to appear in court in relation to one's involvement in money laundering and unlicensed money lending cases.

1. The tricksters will impersonate foreign government officials such as the Interpol, Taiwan Police, China Police, etc.
2. The tricksters will ask the victims for their personal information and bank account details for verification purposes. In some occasions, they were able to recite the victim's personal information or bank account number.
3. The tricksters will send pre-recorded voice messages to the victims. The victims will need to press a number before their calls are answered by an operator. To lend credibility to their scams, the number that appeared on the recipient's phone reflects those belonging to local authorities such as:
    
   a. Supreme Court Quality Service Manager/ Enquiry Hotline: 63381034,
   b. CID Hotline: 64350000, or
   c. Police Emergency Hotline: 999
    
   This is commonly known as "Caller ID Spoofing", where advances in technology enable callers to lie about their identity through false numbers.

CRIME PREVENTION MEASURES

Lottery Scam

• Ignore notifications of a win in a lottery or lucky draw when you had not purchased any lottery ticket or participated in any lucky draw.
• Do not make any advance payment to claim any prize money. Winning a lucky draw or lottery does not require you to make any advance payment.
• Do not entertain such SMSes and calls.
• Be wary of get-rich-quick offers. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam.

Kidnap Scam

• If the public receive kidnap scam calls, they should remain calm and try to contact their next-of-kin immediately. Should repeated attempts at contacting their loved-ones fail, they should then contact the police.
• In addition, the public could pose questions to the kidnapper to verify the identity of the purportedly kidnapped victim, for instance, the number of family members staying together or whether there are pets in the house, to help them establish if the call is indeed genuine.

Impersonation Scam

• Ignore any notification calls from unknown persons who claim to be government officials. All notices to attend court hearing would be notified by post or accompanied by an official letter.
• Police or court officials would not ask anyone who is in connection with a criminal case to make any transfer of funds to unknown bank accounts.
• Do not give your personal details such as NRIC and bank account numbers to anyone over telephone or e-mail.

Those who receive such calls may wish to pass on such information to the Police at a Neighbourhood Police Centre.

Beware: Robbers impersonating as Ministry of Manpower Officer

A passer-by aided the Police in the arrest of three suspects who impersonated public servants to steal from a foreign worker.

On 11 Jan 2011 at about 8pm, the victim, a 28-year-old foreign worker was sitting at the void deck of Blk 666A Jurong West St 65 when three unknown men approached him. One of the men flashed a card and identified himself as a MOM officer stating that he wanted to check the victim’s belongings. The victim handed over his belongings but decided to call for the Police as he sensed that something was amiss. However, the man took away his hand phone and walked away. The victim tried to request for the return of his handphone but was stopped by another man.

At this juncture, the victim approached a 22-year-old passer-by for help. Upon seeing the passer-by call the Police on his phone, the three suspects immediately fled from the scene. Together with the victim, the public-spirited passer-by gave chase and managed to detain one of the suspects after a short chase. Police arrived shortly thereafter and took over custody of the suspect.

Through follow-up investigations, officers from Jurong Police Division managed to establish the identities of the other two suspects. Both suspects were subsequently arrested on 12 Jan 2011 at Jurong West and Woodlands respectively. The victim’s handphone was also successfully recovered. Preliminary investigations revealed that the three suspects are believed to be involved in other similar cases islandwide.

The three suspects, aged 21 to 25, will be charged in the Subordinate Courts on 13 Jan 2011 for offences of Impersonating as a Public Servant under Section 170 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a jail term which may extend to 2 years, or with a fine, or both. In addition, they will also be charged for the offence of Theft under Section 379 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a jail term of not more than 3 years and with a fine, or both. A Court Order will be sought to remand the suspects for further investigations.

Commander of Jurong Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Florence Chua, commended the passer-by for his public spiritedness. She added, “The arrest was made possible because of the assistance of the public-spirited individual. This reinforces the importance of a strong Police-community partnership in keeping our neighborhoods safe.”

Members of the public are advised to be wary of such perpetrators and to always verify the identity of persons claiming to be representatives of government agencies by calling the organizations concerned or checking their identification passes. If in doubt, members of the public should contact the Police for assistance immediately.

Singapore Police Arrested a 23-year-old Yishun Taxi Robber

Singapore Police have arrested a 23-year-old man who is believed to be involved in a case of taxi robbery at Yishun Ring Road.

On 6 December 2010 at about 3.20 am, a 48-year-old taxi driver reported that he had been robbed by an unknown man who was armed with a knife. The victim had picked up the suspect as a passenger along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and dropped him off in the vicinity of Blk 414 Yishun Ring Road. Before alighting, the suspect informed the victim that he would return to pay him after withdrawing money from a nearby ATM. However, when the suspect returned, he took out a knife and robbed the victim of cash amounting to S$290/-.

Through extensive follow up investigations and protracted enquiries, officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division managed to establish the suspect’s identity. On 11 January 2011 at about 8.00 am , the suspect was arrested in the vicinity of Yishun Ring Road.

The suspect will be charged in Court No. 26 on 13 January 2011 for Armed Robbery under Section 392 read with Section 397 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224. If convicted, he faces a jail term of up to 14 years and shall be liable to a minimum of 12 strokes of the cane.

Commander of Ang Mo Kio Police Division HQ, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Hsu Sin Yun, commended his officers for their good investigative work. DAC Hsu also advised taxi drivers to be wary of suspicious persons boarding their taxis. When confronted, taxi drivers should remain calm, take note of the physical appearance and distinctive features of the perpetrator(s) and call for the Police as soon as possible.

source: Singapore Police

Singapore Police arrested a 42 year-old snatcher on bicycle with the assistance of 2 teen-agers.

A 33 year-old woman was walking along Pasir Ris Drive 1 on December 26, 2010 at about 3.45pm when a man on a bicycle came from behind and snatched away her purse. The victim shouted for help and two 17 year-old youths who happened to be in the vicinity responded to her cries and went after the thief. After a short chase, the youths spotted the suspect running up a nearby block of flats at Pasir Ris St 11 and called for the police while keeping watch.

Officers from Bedok Police Division responded promptly and conducted a systematic search of the said block. The suspect was found hiding on the 9th floor and placed under arrest. The victim’s items were also successfully recovered from the suspect’s possession.

The suspect will be charged in court on 28 December 2010 for the offence of snatch theft under Section 356 of the Penal Code, Chapter 224, which carries a maximum punishment of 7 years imprisonment and caning.

Commander of Bedok Police Division, Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police Teo Chun Ching commended the 2 youths for their public-spiritedness and said, "This arrest showcases the importance and effectiveness of Police-community partnership in the fight against crime."

Three knife wielding robbers in Upper East Coast Road arrested

Singapore Police have arrested three men, aged 21-22 who are believed to be responsible for a case of armed robbery at a house off Upper East Coast Road two days ago.

On 24 October 2010 at about 11:10pm, three men wearing helmets and surgical masks armed with knives entered a house off Upper East Coast Road and robbed the 3 male occupants therein of their valuables at knifepoint. The suspects then fled on a motorcycle with cash amounting to about $150/-, four handphones with a combined value of about $1400/-, a wallet containing personal documents and a laptop valued at about $2000/-.

Following extensive investigations, officers from Bedok Police Division managed to ascertain the identities of the suspects. Two of the suspects, aged 21 and 22, were arrested along Rivervale Drive on 27 October 2010 at about 12.30am . A third suspect, aged 22 years, was tracked down and arrested at Sengkang West Avenue at about 5.15am the same day. One NRIC and two handphones belonging to the victims were also recovered from the suspects. A fourth suspect believed to be involved in the case is still at large. Investigations are ongoing to locate him.

The 3 suspects will be charged in Court on 28 October 2010 for an offence of Armed Robbery which is punishable with imprisonment of not less than 3 years and not more than 14 years, and caning of not less than 12 strokes.

source: Singapore Police

Singapore Key Crime Concerns Of 2010

While the overall crime figures for the period Jan-Jun 2010 has dropped. Police would nonetheless like to highlight two key crime concerns, namely:

1. Prevalence of unlicensed moneylending (UML) and harassment cases; and

2. Youth involvement in crime (Youths refer to persons aged 7 – 19 years. They include juveniles aged 7 - 15 years and young persons aged 16 – 19 years).

• UML cases still a key area of concern despite drop in number of cases
  The number of unlicensed moneylending and harassment cases has decreased from 9,424 cases in the first half of 2009 to 8,654 cases (or -8%) in the same period this year. Notwithstanding that, the total number of persons arrested for unlicensed money lending and harassment has increased by almost two-fold (by 88%), to 789 persons in the first half of this year as compared to 419 persons during the same period last year.

  More significantly, Police have continued to hit relentlessly at the upper echelons of the loansharking syndicates. In the first half of this year, police had smashed a total of 8 loansharking syndicates as compared to 5 in the first half of last year.

  Combating UML – A multi-pronged approach

  Police will continue to clamp down on UML activities and those involved. A multi-pronged approach has been adopted to combat loansharking and harassment. Measures include enhancing legislation, stepping up enforcement and working hand-in-hand with the community on various anti-UML initiatives.

  For instance, amendments⁴ to the Moneylenders Act 2008 were passed in Parliament and came into effect on 11 Feb 2010 which will see UML offenders liable to stiffer penalties.

  The active involvement and close partnership between the community and Police remains pivotal in combating UML activities in our heartlands. For example, through various Community Safety and Security Programmes (CSSPs), the number of Neighbourhood Watch Groups (NWGs) formed with the strong support from the residents and grassroots to combat loansharking and related harassment activities have been increasing. The watchful eyes of these groups have been essential in the arrests of several loanshark runners and also in foiling attempts by loanshark runners to harass the residential units.

  Director of the Criminal Investigation Department, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Mr Ng Boon Gay said, “Our efforts against unlicensed moneylending have shown some initial positive results, with the number of unlicensed moneylending and harassment cases falling by 8%. However, we will not let up on our enforcement efforts against loansharking syndicates and their members. Every single member of the syndicate, regardless of level, can expect to face the full brunt of the law.”

  Members of the public who are considering borrowing money from illegal moneylenders should also think twice because of the dire consequences that may follow. Would-be debtors are advised that while loansharks may claim to offer rates of, for example 20% on the principal, in reality, the actual interest rate could be higher. In addition the number of repayments and instalments are left to the whims of the loansharks. Sums repaid are frequently voided, sometimes to zero, if debtors default on any subsequent repayments. Thus, debtors may end up "repaying" the amount borrowed many times over, and spiral into a trap of perpetual debt. The safety of their family and neighbours will be put at risk as loansharks may resort to unscrupulous methods in demanding repayments. There are existing legal channels for loans and members of the public are encouraged to use these channels.

  Members of the public may call the related agencies such as Credit Counselling Singapore at 1800-225 5227 (Mon – Fri, 9 am – 6 pm) or email. The public can also check on the list of Registered (Licensed) Moneylenders.

  To complement Police’s efforts in combating loansharking activities, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) is also launching a new initiative on 5 Aug 2010 in the form of an hotline (1800-9245664) – under “Project No Ah Long”⁵ – for members of public to provide information on loansharking and harassment activities.

  (Note : Please refer to the media statement released by the National Crime Prevention Council today for details on the project).

• Youth Involvement in Crime
  Another key concern is youth crime. Although the total number of youths arrested for crimes in Jan-Jun 2010 has decreased slightly as compared to Jan-Jun 2009 (from 2,289 persons to 2,086 persons), there was a slight increase in the proportion of youths arrested out of total persons arrested (or one percentage point) when we compare the two periods.

  Youths were mainly arrested for theft and related crimes and rioting, which commonly arose from disputes which ended up in fights. Briefly, out of 8,653 persons arrested for overall crime from Jan-Jun 2010, 2,086 (or 24%) were youths. This compares to 9,908 persons arrested for overall crime in the same period last year, of which 2,289 (or 23%) were youths.

  Youth Crime – A multi-faceted problem

  Youth crime is a multi-faceted problem that requires a multi-agency, multi-stakeholder approach for lasting results. Educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, the social services sector, parents and youths themselves must all play a role in reducing youth crime.

  Police will continue to work with schools and educational institutions to prevent youths from turning to crime.

  At the same time, Police urge parents and family members to play their part to prevent youths from turning to crime by paying more attention to their activities and the company they keep. They can also remind their loved ones about the severity of participating in illegal activities and intervene promptly should they display tell-tale signs of being under the influence of bad company.