Police to train teachers to detect gang involvement in schools

SINGAPORE – To tackle youth involvement in gangs, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) will train teachers and social workers to recognise early signs of gang association to enable earlier intervention.

Students will also participate in programmes to be ambassadors and mentors against crime and gangs.

This was announced by Second Minister for Home Affairs Edwin Tong at the Community Action for the Rehabilitation of Ex-Offenders (CARE) Network Summit 2026 on Aug 12, held at ParkRoyal Collection at Marina Bay.

Said Tong: “Our youth are the future of our nation, and we must do our best to help them realise their full potential, as well as stay crime-free. The recent uptick in youth offending underscores the need for sustained and dedicated attention.”

The inaugural training programme is planned for the first half of 2027, with about 120 teachers and social workers attending.

The number of young inmates and remand prisoners in prisons increased in 2025, contributing to a rise in assault incidents, said the Singapore Prison Service (SPS) on Feb 9. These young offenders are aged 16 to 21.

The population of young inmates increased from 307 in 2024 to 418 in 2025.

Tong, who is also Minister for Law, added: “While the youth gang situation remains under control, early intervention remains a very important step as gang affiliation is linked to increased criminal activity.”

National Committee on Preventing Offending and Re-offending (NCPR) representative Gregory Foo, who is also director (rehabilitation) at the policy development division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said one of the new features includes the gang renunciation programme at the Singapore Boys’ Home, which would be similar to the programme in prison.

Foo said Secret Societies Branch officers from SPF will be conducting the course for teachers and social workers, covering areas including the legal consequences of joining gangs, understanding the gang landscape, and youth exposure pathways, early indicators and risk signals.

Muhammad Farhan Fauzi, 38, a desistor and a dispatch driver who had spent a total of five years in prison for gang-related offences and drug consumption, said that sometimes teachers miss signs of gang involvement such as doodling gang insignia in school books or on shoes.

This year’s summit was organised by SPS and the CARE Network, bringing together social service agencies, members of the NCPR, and community organisations.

They support the rehabilitation and reintegration of inmates, former offenders and their families.

The NCPR has made 13 new and enhanced recommendations to support at-risk and vulnerable populations.

These target four areas – preventing first-time offending among youth; preventing gang affiliation among youth; strengthening community support for elderly offenders (above age 60) and former offenders; and strengthening support for families impacted by incarceration.

Students are also being roped in as a positive influence for at-risk youth in their schools, and to help de-escalate difficult situations.

So far, 400 students from eight secondary schools have become crime prevention ambassadors through the Youth Community Outreach Programme, which is run by SHINE, a social service charity supporting young people.

Some of the schools include Montfort Secondary School, Outram Secondary School, Queensway Secondary School and Whitley Secondary School.

By 2027, students from another 12 schools would have enrolled in the programme.

Breaking intergenerational link

Tong also highlighted the risk of intergenerational offending, citing a study by the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) and National Council of Social Service. It found that children with parental incarceration history were 3.9 times more likely to offend.

“I think we need to do what we can to break that link, that intergenerational link, to ensure that no family has to navigate this journey alone,” said Tong.

“SPS and MSF will strengthen inter-agency case coordination, so that timely as well as holistic assistance can be provided to families when an inmate is incarcerated, and the earlier we do this, the more upstream we go, the more likely it is that we will have success.”

Nur Azlinda Zulkifli was first exposed to drugs at age 12. By age 33, she had wasted two decades of her life because of her addiction.

She finally overcame it with support from her family, friends, prison programmes and the Singapore Anti-Narcotics Association.

Azlinda, now 39, has since graduated with a Master of Science in construction project management and is debt-free.

In 2024, she founded Ultimate Friends SG, which promotes prevention and awareness of drug abuse and peer support through sharing sessions, outreach efforts and community-based programmes for recovering addicts.

Azlinda said: “I am here not because I was stronger than everyone else, but because many people showed me kindness, patience and grace, even during the times when I struggled the most.”