Knife crime offenders with mental health issues may be brought for treatment: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE – Knife crime offenders with mental health issues may be taken to a medical practitioner to receive treatment, said Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, adding that the authorities take all knife crimes seriously.

He also said the police are trained and equipped to effectively neutralise such threats and arrest the offender.

Mr Shanmugam was responding to a question from Mr Dennis Tan (Hougang) on whether the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) would consider tracking incidents of knife crimes involving offenders with mental health issues for further prevention and intervention strategies.

In a written reply on Nov 4, he said MHA does not track data for incidents of knife crime involving offenders with mental health issues, but that it takes all knife crimes very seriously.

He added that the law limits the sale of certain knives, such as flick knives and switchblades.

Carrying offensive weapons like knives in public places without lawful authority or purpose is also a serious offence.

Offenders may subsequently be brought or sent for treatment to help address the underlying mental health issues that may have caused them to commit the knife crime, said Mr Shanmugam.

More

violent crimes like knife attacks

were reported in Singapore in the first half of 2025.

There were 75 knife-related incidents in the first half of 2025, up from 59 cases in the same period in 2024.

There were 131 knife-related incidents for the 

whole of 2024

.

The most recent incident reported involved a

hostile man who allegedly swung a karambit

– a small, curved knife – at a police officer in Bedok on Oct 27 before holding it against his own neck.

Officers used a Taser to stop and arrest him.

The day before that, a woman was arrested after she allegedly attacked two people with a knife at Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre.

On Sept 24, a woman died after a violent knife attack in Yishun, allegedly over a noise dispute between neighbours.

A man was then

charged with murder

over the incident.

Knife crimes have also been a concern overseas, with some countries like Britain facing a

youth knife crime crisis

.

A

mass stabbing on a train in England

on Nov 1 left 11 people in hospital, including a member of the train crew who tried to stop the lone attacker and was in a life-threatening condition.

In Vietnam, seven people, including two newborns, were injured in a

knife attack at a hospital

on Oct 23.

In South Korea, three people were stabbed and

killed at a pizza restaurant

by the owner on Sept 3.