More students among juveniles
arrested in '98
Straits Times
Jan 27, 1999
By CHUA CHIN HON
More than half of the 2,242 juvenile
delinquents were arrested for shoplifting with a large number involving
the theft of yo-yos
MORE juvenile delinquents were arrested last year compared
to 1997, with students making up an increasing proportion.
Most of the offenders, aged between seven and 15, were caught for shoplifting, which saw a 40 per cent increase last year, said Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs Ho Peng Kee yesterday.
In 1998, 2242 juveniles were arrested. This works out to about six juvenile arrests a day, with more than half for shoplifting.
More than a quarter of these 1240 shoplifting cases last year involved the theft of yo-yos, he said.
Students account for almost 86 per cent of the juveniles arrested, a 5 per cent increase from 1997.
But it was not all bad news.
The number of juveniles arrested last year for rioting, unlawful assembly, and serious assault cases fell by almost half compared to 1997.
In particular, the number of juveniles arrested for rioting fell to 89 last year, down by 42 per cent from 154 in 1997.
Associate Professor Ho gave the figures at the appointment ceremony of 29 more teachers as teacher-cops in a scheme which gives them arrest powers to nab student lawbreakers.
He said the police have been working with the Singapore Retailers' Association to tackle the shoplifting problem among juveniles, resulting in fewer such arrests in recent months. But he pointed out that the rising overall number of juveniles caught for shoplifting was "not a simple, straightforward law and order phenomenon".
Rather, it could stem from their changing values and attitudes.
He added: "We cannot just generalise that a higher incidence of shoplifting has a direct correlation with the depressed economic situation. While immediate measures such as greater vigilance by shopkeepers can bring the numbers down, we should address the problem at source."
He said the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime, which he chairs, will look into this issue.
A police spokesman said yesterday that yo-yos emerged as a hot item among the juvenile shoplifters only last year.
Other popular items with young shoplifters include cosmetics, toys, compact discs and wallets.
The offenders target Orchard Road shopping centres as well as neighbourhood provision shops.
Juveniles caught for shoplifting are generally dealt with in three ways, said the spokesman.
Depending on factors such as an offender's track record and the severity of the offence, he may be let off with a stern warning, ordered to undergo a six-month counselling programme, or be prosecuted in court.