More theft, molestation, rape cases, knife crimes compared with same period in 2024
Crime Comparison
The first six months of 2025 have seen an increase in various types of physical crimes, according to the latest police statistics released yesterday.
Shop theft, rape, knife-related incidents, and cases of outrage of modesty were all up compared with the first half of 2024.
In total, there were 4,226 reported physical crimes from January to June this year, a 15 percent increase from the 3,670 cases reported in the first half of last year. That is the highest number for the same period since 2021.
The biggest rise was in shop theft, which jumped 25 percent from 1,089 cases to 1,361.
Knife-related incidents rose 18 percent, from 200 in the first half of 2024 to 236 so far this year.
Cases of outrage of modesty increased 12 percent, from 1,002 to 1,121.
Reports of rape went up 19 percent, from 163 cases to 194.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police, Lim Joo Teck, attributed the increases primarily to a post-pandemic return to social activities and more crowded public spaces. He said: "With more people out and about, there are unfortunately more opportunities for such offenses. We continue to step up enforcement in shopping districts and nightlife precincts."
He urged citizens to remain vigilant and take precautions, such as avoiding poorly lit areas and reporting suspicious behaviour immediately.
He also noted that community policing efforts are ramping up, particularly in areas with higher crime rates, and that additional outreach programmes will roll out over the next few months.
Knife Crimes
Knife-related crimes have drawn particular scrutiny following a series of highly publicized incidents in June.
In several cases, victims sustained serious injuries requiring hospitalization.
Commissioner Lim noted that investigations are ongoing in most cases, with several suspects already charged.
He added: "The vast majority of knife-related offenses do not involve random acts of violence; many are domestic or arise from personal disputes."
Crime in Perspective
Despite the worrying rise in physical crimes, Commissioner Lim said total reported crime — including non-physical crimes such as online scams and fraud — remained steady compared with 2024.
He cautioned, however, that vigilance is necessary, as criminals often adapt their methods.
"While the focus now is on physical offenses, the threat from cybercrime is ever-present. We must not let our guard down," he added.
Mid-year crime figures
Total Physical Crimes
2024 H1: 3,670
2025 H1: 4,226
Shop Theft
2024 H1: 1,089
2025 H1: 1,361
Knife-Related Incidents
2024 H1: 200
2025 H1: 236
Rape
2024 H1: 163
2025 H1: 194
Outrage of Modesty
2024 H1: 1,002
2025 H1: 1,121
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Sheng Siong using facial recognition to catch shoplifters, cut losses from failed transactions
David Sun
Crime Correspondent
Since April 2024, Sheng Siong has added facial recognition technology to its security camera system, to better identify and catch shoplifters.
It is also used to identify unwitting customers whose payment transactions failed, possibly because of network or card swiping issues, before they leave the store.
The system is now in use in around 50 of the 83 Sheng Siong outlets.
Shoplifting suspects are typically identified only after they leave the store with unpaid items.
The staff trawl through security footage and identify the culprit, whose face is then flagged in the system.
When that person visits a Sheng Siong outlet again, the system alerts store managers.
The staff monitor the suspects, approaching and stopping them if they attempt to shoplift again.
Suspects’ faces are removed from the system only after they have been arrested by the police.
Mr Lim Hock Chee, the chief executive of Sheng Siong Group, said the system has proven effective. He said that previously, staff would catch an average of four shoplifters at each outlet every year.
But with facial recognition, they now catch an average of eight shoplifters at each store every year.
Mr Lim said: “In the past it was a manual process, where we had to print photos of suspects and my staff had to then identify the suspects themselves. Now it’s all auto and digital.”
There were 2,097 cases of shop theft reported in the first half of 2025, an increase of about 4.2 per cent compared with 2,013 cases during the same period in 2024.
Mr Lim said the technology has also helped reduce losses from failed transactions.
He said some customers would unwittingly rush off after tapping their card for payment.
Sometimes, the payments did not go through, but the customers had already left with the items.
Mr Lim said there are about $10,000 worth of such failed transactions every month across all its outlets.
By using facial recognition technology, Sheng Siong has been able to identify such customers.
When these customers return, staff approach them and inform them about the previous failed transaction, requesting that they make payment.
This has helped to reduce the amount lost to failed transactions each month to about $1,500.
Sheng Siong intends to roll out the use of facial recognition in all its stores.
Posters informing shoppers about the cameras have been put up in all outlets.
Sheng Siong is part of the police’s Shop Theft Awareness for Retailers programme, to help retailers develop effective shop theft prevention measures.
As at June 30, more than 1,000 retail outlets are part of the programme, including FairPrice, Watsons and Sephora.
On Sheng Siong’s use of facial recognition technology, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Devrajah Bala, deputy director of the police’s operations department, said: “Offenders will be identified and caught even if they commit shop theft some time ago. We encourage retailers without such major investments to follow other preventive measures made by Sheng Siong.”
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