Increase in Numbers of Young People Aged 21 and Under Arrested for Causing Serious Hurt

Dr Shahira Abdullah asked the Minister for Home Affairs in view of the number of those aged 21 and below arrested for causing serious hurt increasing from 62 cases in 2011 to 77 in 2020 (a) what has been attributed to these numbers; (b) whether there are updated numbers for 2021 and 2022; and (c) what is being done to counter this trend.

The Police define offences causing serious hurt as the commission of offences under sections 323A and 324 to 326 of the Penal Code. These cover offences which result in grievous hurt, or voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt by dangerous means or weapons.

The number of offenders aged 21 and below, which I will refer to as youth offenders, who were arrested for these offences was: 85 in 2021 and 27 in the first half of 2022. Since 2011, the number has fluctuated, with a low of 51 in 2017 and a high of 87 in 2016. There is no clear trend. The number of youth offenders as a percentage of all offenders for offences causing serious hurt remains low. Overall, the situation is under control.

Why youths commit offences, whether violent offences or otherwise, is a complex and multifaceted issue. Correspondingly, tackling this requires a multi-stakeholder approach. All stakeholders, including educational institutions, law enforcement agencies, social services and parents, have a role to play in reducing youth crime. It requires a holistic approach, including preventive programmes upstream, rehabilitative programmes downstream, as well as effective enforcement.

The Police work with the schools, Institutes of Higher Learning and the National Crime Prevention Council to educate our youths on the consequences of crime. These include school talks, crime prevention exhibitions and crime awareness programmes.

One such programme is the Delta League, which engages youths aged 13 to 17, through sports and meaningful activities, such as workshops and design competitions, to keep them occupied during the school holidays to steer them away from crime. As part of Delta League, anti-gang experts from the Police share relevant information with the youths to divert them away from violent behaviour and activities, by informing them of the dangers and consequences of joining gangs and violence.

Aside from Delta League, the Police conduct several other programmes to steer youths away from gang activities, such as the Joint Outreach Programmes and Streetwise Programme.

The Joint Outreach Programmes, conducted in collaboration with MOE and MSF, consist of anti-gang talks and engagement of at-risk students in schools and boys’ homes. The Streetwise Programme provides youths found to be involved in gang activities with access to social workers for assistance and counselling.

The Police will continue to work with the schools and relevant stakeholders to reach out to youths.