Tracking Knife Crimes Involving Offenders with Mental Health Issues

Mr Dennis Tan Lip Fong asked the Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs (a) whether the Ministry will consider tracking incidents of knife crimes involving offenders with mental health issues for further prevention and intervention strategies; and (b) if not, why not.

The Ministry of Home Affairs does not track data on which incidents of knife crime involved offenders with mental health issues. We take all knife crimes very seriously.

We have put in place upstream legal levers to regulate and limit the sale of certain types of knives that have limited legitimate use, such as flick knives and switchblades, under the Guns, Explosives and Weapons Control Act 2021. In addition, carrying offensive weapons, such as knives, in public places without lawful authority or purpose is a serious offence and offenders face imprisonment and caning upon conviction.

When there is an incident of a knife crime with the threat of violence, the Police are trained and equipped to effectively neutralise the threat and arrest the offender. For such offenders with mental health issues, depending on the circumstances, the Police may subsequently bring them to a medical practitioner to receive treatment. This is to help address the underlying mental health issues that may have caused such offenders to commit the knife crime.

Alternatively, the Police may refer the person to Community Outreach Teams, also known as CREST, which are set up by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), or to AIC itself. CREST or AIC will refer the case to appropriate mental health service providers.