Aside from the speck of ink between his eyebrows, where his gang tattoo used to be, and a slight bump in his jeans near his right ankle, it would be hard to tell that Tom (not his real name), 21, has had multiple brushes with the law for gang-related offences.

Between 2018 and January 2023, he was in and out of the Singapore Boys’ Home and the Reformative Training Centre (RTC) for various offences including affray, voluntarily causing hurt and rioting.

This time, it will be different, he said.

Since his release into the community on a supervision order in January, Tom has deleted his social media accounts, changed his number, cut off all ties with his gang and former friends, and removed the tattoos on his face.

From a young age, I always thought that this is how you become a gangster. You fight, then go in and come out repeatedly. That’s how you build your reputation.

Tom’s first run-in with the police was in 2018, when he was 15. He was sent to the Singapore Boys’ Home for affray and voluntarily causing hurt.

Later that year, Tom was involved in a riot at the Boys’ Home that was widely reported.