Crime rate down, murder up
Reuters. Mar 6, 1998.
SINGAPORE'S crime rate fell for the ninth consecutive year in
1997, but murder, rape and snatch theft incidents rose, police said on
Thursday.
The total number of seizable offences fell by five percent, or 2372 cases, to 44,773 last year, a police statement said.
The crime rate was 1443 per 100,000 residents compared with 1549 in 1996, it said.
Housebreaking, car theft and rioting all fell substantially, with smaller falls in robbery and outraging of modesty.
But murder cases rose to 38 in 1997, up from 31 in 1996. Rape also rose to 103 cases from 99, and snatch theft was up at 315 cases compared with 313 in 1996.
Police said the economic downturn, leading to higher unemployment, would make the trend towards lower crime hard to sustain.
"Singapore is an open economy and is vulnerable to the social and economic problems in the region," the statement said.
"The foreseeable poor economic climate calls for greater vigilance against crimes," it added.
A total of 1762 foreigners were arrested in 1997, a drop of 144 compared with 1996. They accounted for 11.9 percent of the total arrests for seizable offences.