The authorities clamped down on illegal activities, including illegal gambling, in Geylang from Nov 30 to Dec 12, 2024. - Photo: Singapore Police Force
SINGAPORE: The naughty list in 2024 is looking to be extra long after more than 1,800 people were hauled up by the police in the past month in one of the biggest anti-crime blitzes since the Covid-19 pandemic.
More than 600 of those hauled up have been arrested so far.
The blitz targeted a spectrum of criminal activity, including vice, illegal gambling, vaping, drink driving, drugs and riding of non-compliant personal mobility devices (PMDs).
To clamp down on crime during the year-end festivities, the police mobilised more than 2,600 officers to conduct checks on some 13,200 people from Nov 16 to Dec 16.
They conducted more than 1,180 operations during the four-week period, hauling up for investigations 1,873 people, aged 15 to 85. They comprised 1,257 men and 616 women.
Of these, at least 610 people have been arrested so far.
The police officers were supported by their counterparts from the Central Narcotics Bureau, Singapore Civil Defence Force, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, Health Sciences Authority, National Environment Agency, Singapore Customs, Land Transport Authority (LTA) and Singapore Food Agency.
From Nov 20 to 23, the police arrested 25 women and three men after conducting enforcement checks at multiple massage establishments, hotels and public entertainment outlets in the areas of Balestier, Thomson Road, Robertson Quay, Selegie Road, Orchard Road and Whampoa.
More than S$4,300 in cash, several mobile phones, gambling-related paraphernalia, seven vapes and four packets of duty-unpaid cigarettes were seized as case exhibits.
On Nov 22, an enforcement operation in Pioneer’s Jalan Papan area saw 15 men caught for vapes, 17 men caught for possessing duty-unpaid cigarettes, and one man arrested for selling duty-unpaid cigarettes.
From Nov 25 to 30, officers targeted illicit activities at massage establishments, public entertainment outlets, private residences and hotels in Chinatown, Little India, Boat Quay and Bugis.
They arrested 54 men and 140 women for various offences, including six men dressed in women’s clothing for suspected vice activities in a shophouse in Little India.
On Nov 29, a joint operation conducted by the police and LTA officers at Punggol and Upper Serangoon saw two PMDs and eight bicycles impounded.
The operation also uncovered a 15-year-old who had with him a scheduled weapon. The teen was arrested.
From Nov 30 to Dec 12, the authorities clamped down on illegal activities in Geylang.
A total of 15 men and 22 women are being investigated for various offences, including illegal gambling, vice and illegal touting.
On Dec 5, the media tagged along for anti-vice raids at HDB units in Bukit Batok and Choa Chu Kang.
Officers found cameras used by the vice operators outside the units, hidden in a shoebox and a fake switch box.
Four women were arrested in the raids, and substantial amounts of condoms, bottles of massage oil and handwritten records of earnings were seized for investigations.
On Dec 14, the police busted an illegal gambling operation in Yishun.
They arrested five men and three women, and seized more than $15,300 in cash, 12 computers and other gambling-related items.
The police also conducted anti-drink driving operations on Nov 30 and Dec 13, arresting six people who failed breathalyser tests.
The blitz is one of the biggest since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The previous one saw more than 300 operations conducted from June 16 and July 23, with more than 1,688 people investigated for various offences.
Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) Gregory Tan, director of the police’s operations department, said the authorities want to send a clear message with the ongoing anti-crime efforts during the festive season.
“We aim to send a clear message: Criminal activities will be met with strong enforcement and all cases will be thoroughly investigated before we take the criminals to task,” he said.
“As we enter the festive season, we emphasise that celebration and safety can coexist. For instance, the risks of drink driving can be easily avoided by choosing alternative transport options or using valet services.”
SAC Tan also urged the public to stay alert and report any suspicious or criminal activities promptly.
He said: “Your vigilance and support are crucial in our collective effort to deter and combat crime. Together, we can ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday season for all.” - The Straits Times/ANN
