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SINGAPORE: There were 129 cases of murder, attempted murder, robbery, rioting and serious hurt involving knives from January to November 2024 - and the figure is "comparable" to the number of cases in the past three years, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said on Tuesday (Jan 7).
Between 2021 and 2023, there was an average of 133 cases a year.
None of these crimes occurred at a place of worship, except for the knife attack at St Joseph’s Church in November.
Providing the figures in parliament, Ms Sun added that the Ministry of Home Affairs does not track the cases by whether the offenders had mental health issues.
Ms Sun was responding to questions from Members of Parliament, including Dr Tan Wu Meng (PAP-Jurong) and Mr Christopher De Souza (PAP-Holland Bukit Timah), about whether there has been a rise in knife crimes, as well as the safety and response measures in place.
"Our police officers are trained and equipped to deal with crimes involving knives, and will respond swiftly to neutralise the threat when alerted," said Ms Sun.
"When there is information on specific threats or the general threat level is escalated, the police will step up security measures such as increasing the frequency of patrols. They will also engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that appropriate security measures are put in place."
In the case at St Joseph's Chuch, where the parish priest was stabbed in the mouth during communion at evening mass, members of the congregation, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team, had helped subdue the suspect.
The man, 37-year-old Singaporean Basnayake Keith Spencer, has been charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon.
"While the incidence of crimes involving knives is low, it is important nevertheless that we all know how to respond when such attacks occur," said Ms Sun, pointing to the incident at St Joseph's Church as a case in point.
She noted that two men helped to subdue the attacker, while other members of the congregation provided first aid to the priest before authorities arrived on the scene.
Ms Sun said that it is important to "systematically" build up society's resilience to emergencies, pointing out that this has been done over the years.
The Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, for instance, work with building owners and managers across Singapore via the Safety and Security Watch Group to conduct security audits, share best practices and deliver training on building safety and security awareness.
The ministry also works closely with community and religious organisations, as well as engages the broader public with its partner agencies, said Ms Sun.
"Together, these measures help ensure a high level of public safety, security awareness and contingency readiness in our community," she added.
Source: CNA/mt(gs)
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FAST
SINGAPORE: There were 129 cases of murder, attempted murder, robbery, rioting and serious hurt involving knives from January to November 2024 - and the figure is "comparable" to the number of cases in the past three years, Minister of State for Home Affairs Sun Xueling said on Tuesday (Jan 7).
Between 2021 and 2023, there was an average of 133 cases a year.
None of these crimes occurred at a place of worship, except for the knife attack at St Joseph’s Church in November.
Providing the figures in parliament, Ms Sun added that the Ministry of Home Affairs does not track the cases by whether the offenders had mental health issues.
Ms Sun was responding to questions from Members of Parliament, including Dr Tan Wu Meng (PAP-Jurong) and Mr Christopher De Souza (PAP-Holland Bukit Timah), about whether there has been a rise in knife crimes, as well as the safety and response measures in place.
"Our police officers are trained and equipped to deal with crimes involving knives, and will respond swiftly to neutralise the threat when alerted," said Ms Sun.
"When there is information on specific threats or the general threat level is escalated, the police will step up security measures such as increasing the frequency of patrols. They will also engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that appropriate security measures are put in place."
Related:
In the case at St Joseph's Chuch, where the parish priest was stabbed in the mouth during communion at evening mass, members of the congregation, including the Archdiocesan Emergency Response team, had helped subdue the suspect.
The man, 37-year-old Singaporean Basnayake Keith Spencer, has been charged with voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon.
"While the incidence of crimes involving knives is low, it is important nevertheless that we all know how to respond when such attacks occur," said Ms Sun, pointing to the incident at St Joseph's Church as a case in point.
She noted that two men helped to subdue the attacker, while other members of the congregation provided first aid to the priest before authorities arrived on the scene.
Related:
BUILDING UP RESILIENCE
Ms Sun said that it is important to "systematically" build up society's resilience to emergencies, pointing out that this has been done over the years.
The Singapore Police Force and the Singapore Civil Defence Force, for instance, work with building owners and managers across Singapore via the Safety and Security Watch Group to conduct security audits, share best practices and deliver training on building safety and security awareness.
The ministry also works closely with community and religious organisations, as well as engages the broader public with its partner agencies, said Ms Sun.
"Together, these measures help ensure a high level of public safety, security awareness and contingency readiness in our community," she added.
Source: CNA/mt(gs)
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