White-collar Crimes, Scams and Cybercrime as Proportion of All Cases Reported to Police

Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs from January to June 2023, in respect of white collar crimes, scam and cybercrime cases (a) what is the percentage of (i) the number of such crimes against the total number of crimes reported to the Police; and (ii) the number of Police officers deployed to investigate such crimes against the total number of investigation officers; and (b) if the respective percentages reveal a disparity, how does the Police ensure sufficient resources are available to combat white-collar crimes.

Between January and June 2023, there were 34,605 crimes reported to the Police. Of these, about 75% were attributed to white-collar crimes, scams and cybercrimes.

The Police do not track the number of officers deployed to investigate such crimes. Nevertheless, it would be accurate to say that we are operating on a very lean force and our Police officers are very stretched.

We have always had one of the lowest Police officers to population ratios in the world. However, in the last few years, the number of white-collar crimes, cybercrimes and especially scams, has increased exponentially. The number of reported scam cases, for example, has increased by more than 400% over the last five years. During this period, the number of people involved in scams which the Police have had to arrest, has increased by close to 100%. These trends do not look like they are reversing anytime soon.

However, the number of Police investigators has increased only slightly over this period, by about 7%. It is not sustainable. The performance and effectiveness of the force may deteriorate. There may be more investigation mistakes and slip-ups, and more things may fall through the cracks.

Our investigation officers have to deal with a huge range of crime cases and not just white-collar crimes, scams and cybercrimes. They operate under intense pressure, to solve the cases and arrest the perpetrators before the leads go cold, while having to juggle many ongoing investigations, prosecutions and arrest operations, all at the same time. The number and complexity of such cases have increased, with well-resourced criminals running sophisticated operations with extensive networks, often transnational. They are adept at using technology to swiftly move funds, often across borders, and to cover their tracks. This compounds the challenges for our investigation officers.

The recent money laundering case is a good example. Minister Josephine Teo spoke about the scale and complexity of the case. Just to conduct the initial raids and initiate investigations against the suspects and to seize their assets, we had to muster more than 400 Police officers. The suspects do not number only the 10 arrested; many more are being investigated and we are looking for others who are outside Singapore. More assets are being uncovered and seized. Many Police officers are going to be involved in the coming years in the investigations and the Court proceedings.

Burnout among our Police officers is a concern. Just like all of us, they need adequate time to rest and re-charge and take care of their families. We need to support them, also so that they can keep up their high levels of performance and continue to keep Singapore as one of the safest places in the world.