Singaporeans More Dangerous Than Foreigners
Somehow, I expected this. To others, it may be shocking. The numbers are out. The “arrest rate” amongst foreign workers is lower than that amongst residents in Singapore.
The Minstry of Home Affairs tells us that “the arrest rate for foreigners was 286, much lower than that for Singapore residents, which came to 435.”
Wait a minute. They said “arrest rate” and not crime rate. Now going by my non-expert understanding, “arrest rate” is not equal to crime rate. And going by common sense alone, if no arrests were made for a certain unsolved crime, there would be no sure way of telling whether the crime was committed by a Singaporean or a foreigner.
If I row into Singapore on a sampan, blow up the Merlion at Sentosa and then somehow manage to row back to Indonesia after getting some tips from Mas Selamat, I would contribute to the crime rate and not the arrest rate.
In order for arrest rate to be a meaningful reflection of the propensity to commit crimes, we must make the following assumptions:
1. Singaporean offenders are as good at evading arrest as foreign workers.
2. A negligible number of unsolved crimes are attributable to foreigners.
3. There are very few unsolved crimes.
4. The nature of crimes committed by Singaporeans and foreign workers is the same.
Take the common scenario of a family that employs a maid. Valuable items go missing. They search the maid’s bags. Nothing found. A crime has been committed, but no arrest can be made as there is no evidence against the foreigner. It’s only after the maid has left that the family finds out that she had hidden the stolen items in the bathroom and lowered them to her waiting accomplice downstairs through a window without grilles. If Singaporeans were a more cohesive, cooperative bunch, maybe our arrest rate can go down a bit.
Let’s look at a few other scenarios from my own personal observations. Someone breaks into a pharmacy, cracks the safe, sweep up the controlled drugs and disappears without a trace. No arrest. Foreigner or local? Someone smashes a car and steals the briefcase. No arrest. Foreigner or local? Someone walks into a clinic, snatches the lady doctor’s handbag and disappears. No arrest. Foreigner or local? Pools of urine on the stairway of a shopping centre. No arrest. Foreigner or local? Hordes of women prostitute themselves illegally at Geylang and Joo Chiat then disappear. No arrests. Foreigner or local?
Whether crime pays or not depends on whether the culprit is caught. If you’re a law-breaking local who hadn’t read “Took Leng How’s Secret Escape Manual” or Mas Selamat’s “Selamat Jalan Manual”, you’re basically a sitting duck waiting to be added to the numbers which prove that foreigners are better behaved than Singaporeans. Reminds me of the poor boy who stole candy but couldn’t run fast enough to avoid a spanking. The arrest rate for fat candy thieves must be very high. Beware of fat people. They steal candy - or at least that’s the Ministry of Home Affairs’ logic.
