Shop theft cases jump 25% in first half of 2023 as overall physical crime rises
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Shop theft accounted for 18.1 per cent of all physical crime cases, said the police.
ST PHOTO: KUA CHEE SIONG
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SINGAPORE – The number of shop theft cases rose to 1,820 in the first half of 2023, with experts saying self-checkout counters could be a possible reason for the rise in such cases.
The figure rose 25.3 per cent from the 1,453 cases during the same period last year, the police revealed on Friday, in releasing the mid-year crime statistics.
Overall, the total number of physical crime cases increased by 5.4 per cent to 10,080 from January to June 2023, from 9,568 in the same period last year.
The figures for scams for the first half of the year were released on Wednesday.
On Friday, the police said crimes of concern include outrage of modesty, voyeurism, shop theft and theft in dwelling.
Shop theft accounted for 18.1 per cent of all physical crime cases, said the police.
A total of 76 per cent of the cases took place at retail chains and shops such as department stores, supermarkets, health and beauty shops, minimarts and convenience stores.
Items typically stolen were food, alcoholic drinks, personal care products, clothes, accessories and cosmetics.
In May, a 30-year-old woman was arrested after allegedly stealing milk powder, cosmetics and toys
The police said retailers play a vital role in deterring and preventing shop theft.
Under the Shop Theft Awareness for Retailers initiative,
As at June 22, the police have collaborated with Sheng Siong, Watsons and Sephora to get 175 of their retail outlets on board.
Overall, more than 480 retail outlets across different product categories are part of the initiative, as at Monday.
Mr Deva Joseph, head of operations and compliance at Peregrine Security, said many shop theft cases could have taken place at self-checkout counters, which are common in large supermarkets and department stores.
He said: “Some thieves may see self-checkout counters as a good opportunity to steal, like having 10 items in their basket but scanning only nine items. They think they can get away with it because it is just one item they did not pay for, but that is still shop theft.”
Mr Deva, a former senior investigation officer with the Singapore Police Force, noted that many stores install hidden closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at self-checkout counters.
“The crooks think they are not being watched, and the authorities won’t find out, but they will,” he said.
He added: “However, because these CCTV cameras at self-checkout counters are hidden, they may not act as a deterrent.
“So, I think a good way to curb the issue of shop theft is to install large cameras out in the open, to stop the crime before it even happens.”
Adjunct Professor Lynda Wee of Nanyang Business School agreed that self-checkout counters could explain the rise in shop theft cases. She noted that such counters became common only around two years ago. “It can be said that this technology is still at a stage of infancy. Thus, there are some loopholes potential thieves think they can exploit, like not paying for all the items they bring to the counter.”
Prof Wee, who specialises in retailing, said that when the technology is more mature, supermarkets and other stores can consider a system where every single item in the shopper’s basket is scanned by just placing the basket on the platform.
But for now, there needs to be more digital eyes on the ground to prevent theft. “So, if someone is a shoplifter, and they have a sense they’re being monitored, they may think twice before taking the risk and stealing,” she said.
Meanwhile, theft in dwelling cases rose from 788 to 1,010 in the first six months of 2023, accounting for 10 per cent of total physical crime cases.
The police said most of these cases involved culprits known to the victims, including tenants, roommates, family members, cleaners and friends.
In the first half of 2023, there were 497 theft in dwelling cases in residential premises, up from 417 in the same period last year.
Such theft typically involved items such as cash, jewellery, mobile phones, and luxury bags and watches.
At commercial premises, there were 306 cases reported in the first half of this year, a rise from the 208 during the same period last year.
Another crime of concern was outrage of modesty, or molestation, which saw 757 cases between January and June this year and accounted for 7.5 per cent of physical crime cases. There were 751 cases reported in the same period in 2022.
More than half, or 55.1 per cent, of the cases in the first half of this year involved culprits known to the victims.
The police noted that the number of outrage of modesty cases that took place at nightspots increased to 74 in the first half of 2023. This was more than double the 36 cases in the same period last year.
In January 2023, the “smart clubbing” campaign was revived
The year-long campaign aims to reduce such crimes by encouraging nightlife outlets and patrons to adopt safe clubbing practices.
Separately, the number of outrage of modesty cases that took place on public transport rose from 84 in the first half of 2022 to 97 during the same period in 2023.
The police noted that the latest figure is still lower than pre-Covid-19 statistics, which saw 111 cases in the first half of 2019.
The number of voyeurism cases in the first six months of 2023 also remained stable at 224, as compared with 220 cases in the same period last year.
Residential premises (73 cases), shopping complexes (40 cases) and the public transport system (23 cases) were the top three locations where voyeurs struck.
The police said cases at residential premises mainly involved perpetrators known to the victims, including boyfriends, household members or fellow tenants, while cases at shopping complexes and public transport typically involved perpetrators the victims did not know.
The number of voyeurism cases that occurred on public transport saw a 34 per cent decrease, from 35 cases in the same period in 2022.
Superintendent of Police Rudy Dzulkarnaen, assistant director of the crime control division’s operations department, highlighted the importance of keeping Singapore one of the safest cities globally.
He said: “The police are concerned about crime returning to pre-Covid-19 levels and call on various community partners and stakeholders to work with us to prevent, deter and detect crime.”
