Spike in outrage of modesty cases on public transport; physical crime cases rise 5.4% in first half of 2025

The number of outrage of modesty or molestation cases on Singapore's public transport network rose in the first half of 2025, climbing to 90 from 64 in the same period last year — a 40.6 per cent increase.

In their mid-year crime brief for 2025, released on Tuesday (Aug 26), the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said that the rise in these cases was part of a broader increase in physical crimes reported from January to June this year.

Physical crimes rose 5.4 per cent, with 10,341 cases, up from 9,809 in the same period last year.

This is the third consecutive year that the total physical crime cases have increased in the first six months of the year.

Crimes of concern, according to the SPF, included shop theft, outrage of modesty, voyeurism, and theft in dwelling.

Increase in outrage of modesty cases

A total of 807 outrage of modesty cases were reported from January to June in 2025, compared to 666 within the same time frame last year, accounting for 7.8 per cent of the total number of physical crime. 

The culprits were known to the victim in more than half of the cases, said police.

Apart from public transport, which saw the largest increase in cases, most outrage of modesty and voyeurism cases occurred at residential premises and shopping complexes, according to the mid-year report.

189 reported cases occurred in residential premises in the first half of 2025, an increase from 163 in the same period in 2024, while 57 reported cases occurred in shopping complexes, down from 73 in the same period in 2024.

“The SPF will continue to work with public transport operators and partners, including SBS Transit, SMRT Corporation, Land Transport Authority and NCPC, to disseminate crime advisories with the public transport network,” said the police.

Measures include crime prevention announcements during peak hours at MRT stations, advisory decals on platform screen doors, floors and escalators, as well as enhanced police presence through joint patrols with public transport operators.

As for voyeurism, the number of reported cases dropped from 258 in the first half of 2024 to 252 in the same period this year.

But the police said that it remains a crime of concern, accounting for 2.4 per cent of the total number of physical crime rates.

Rise in shop theft cases, drop in housebreaking

Shop theft accounted for 20.3 per cent of total physical crimes in 2025, forming the largest proportion of offences.

Cases increased from 2,013 to 2,097, said the police, adding that shop theft remains one of the top offences committed by youths.

More than half of the shop theft cases involved losses of less than $50, which included personal care products, food and beverage items, and alcoholic drinks.

The retail outlet with the highest number of reported shop thefts — 36 cases — is the Cold Storage supermarket at Ngee Ann City.

The report also detailed the retail outlets with the most number of reported shop thefts, with the top five being:

1. Cold Storage, Ngee Ann City
2. Cold Storage, Tanglin Mall
3. NTU FairPrice, Ang Mo Kio Hub
4. Cold Storage, Next Mall
5. NTUC FairPrice, Jurong Point & Sheng Siong, Bishan Street 13

Police also noted that housebreaking saw a significant drop in the first half of 2025, from 65 to 52 cases.

They attributed the fall to the various crime prevention efforts by the police and community vigilance.

“Nearly half of the housebreaking cases took place in residential premises, with the majority taking place in HDB flats,” added the police. “Given the recent housebreaking cases committed by foreign syndicates in landed residential estates, the SPF urges heightened vigilance in such homes as well.”

However, overall, the crime situation in Singapore "remains stable", said Senior Assistant Commissioner Leon Chan, director of SPF's operations department.

"With the continued support from our stakeholders and active participation by the public, we are confident that we will be able to keep physical crime rates low, and ensure that Singapore continues to be one of the world’s safest places to live in."

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chingshijie@asiaone.com