SINGAPORE - A 39-year-old man was arrested on Saturday (Feb 10) after he allegedly molested a woman on board a public bus.

The police said in a statement early Sunday that the 28-year-old victim reported she had been molested while the bus was travelling along Burgundy Rise in Bukit Batok.

She approached the bus captain for assistance, and the suspect was subsequently detained on board until police arrived. He was arrested at the scene.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspect had molested his victim while he was seated behind her.

If convicted he could be jailed for up to two years, fined, caned or receive any combined punishment.

In their annual crime brief on Feb 3, the police highlighted the increase in molest incidents on public transport as a concern.

There were 207 such cases in 2017, a spike of 60.5 per cent over the previous year.

The police said they will step up patrols at public transportation nodes, and also distribute advisories to commuters during the morning and evening peak hours.

Outrage of modesty advisory posters have already been placed on the platform screen doors of MRT stations, and public education videos are being screened at bus interchanges and train platforms.