Singapore has always been regarded as one of the safest countries to reside in when compared to other countries. This stems from the low crime rates, reliable police force, and a resilient community with a community-based response system. The Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2021 report has concluded that Singapore is 3rd in rank for being the safest city out of 60 other major cities. Among the Southeast Asia region, Singapore has the highest score, followed by Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Precautions Against Crimes
Just in Singapore, the number of crime-free days for robbery, snatch theft, and housebreaking, has hit a record high of 250 days in 2021. Among the respondents of a study, 94% indicated that they feel safe walking alone at night, as compared to the worldwide average of 68%. Though the crime rates are low, even at night, it is ideal to take precautions against such crimes.
Petty crimes such as bag-snatching and robbery often occur in areas with a high population density, on public transport, the beach, or in bars. To prevent yourself from being a victim, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and keep your valuables at home. Valuable items such as laptops and other digital devices should not be left alone in a public space such as the library as well.
Rise of Internet Scams
The advancement in technology has its pros and cons. One of the unfavourable impacts brought about by technology is the rise of online scams which includes e-commerce scams, job scams, impersonation of police officers, cryptocurrency scams, phishing scams, love scams, and more. As Singapore is progressing towards the goal of becoming a Smart Nation, citizens are trying to not get left behind by technology. As such, individuals of all age groups are prone to online scams; not just the older ones.
To protect themselves against such scams, individuals should be wary of unknown callers or senders. Calls from overseas should also be ignored unless you are expecting a call from outside of Singapore. Additionally, you should not click on unknown links or download any attachments from suspicious emails. Personal information, financial details such as bank account number, and One-Time-Password (OTP) should not be shared with others as well.
SGSecure Community Responder
Although there has been a low terrorism threat the past few decades, it does not imply that Singapore is safe from it. In 2016, the SGSecure movement was launched to build up a resilient community against terrorism. The application allows individuals in the community to report a suspicious man/ item and to respond to cases of cardiac arrest and small fires within the vicinity.
Responders to cases of cardiac arrest and small fires do not need to be certified in life-saving, though it will be advantageous if you are. Interested individuals who want to sign up for a life-saving course or want to find out more about SGSecure can do so here.
Emergency Contacts
Police: 999
Singapore Civil Defence Force (ambulance and fire): 995
In the event of non-emergencies, please dial 1777 for an ambulance instead.
With an endless list of reasons why Singapore is the best place to settle down in, interested individuals should start planning to migrate. To know more about the immigration process, contact us via our contact form, email (contact@fcg.com.sg), or WhatsApp (+65 8792 2664) today!