SPEECH BY MR THARMAN SHANMUGARATNAM, MINISTER FOR EDUCATION, AT THE OPENING CEREMONY OF THE INTERNATIONAL CRIME PREVENTION CONFERENCE 2004 ON MONDAY, 22 NOV 2004, AT 9.15 AM, AT SHANGRI-LA HOTEL SINGAPORE

Datuk Dr Maximus Johnity Ongkili,
Chairman of the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation,
and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department

Tan Sri Mohd Bakri Haji Omar,
Inspector General of Police, Royal Malaysia Police

Mr Tan Kian Hoon,
Chairman of the National Crime Prevention Council

Mr Khoo Boon Hui,
Commissioner of Police

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

         It is my pleasure to be here with you this morning at the opening of the International Crime Prevention Conference (ICPC) 2004.  This conference provides an opportunity for crime prevention practitioners from the region and different parts of the world to come together in the spirit of professional inquiry and exchange.

2.      To the organisers and conference sponsors, I commend you for the initiative and good work that has brought us all here this morning.  The National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) of Singapore organised the conference in partnership with several government, private and volunteer organisations, including the Singapore Police Force (SPF), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime (IMYC), National Council Against Drug Abuse (NCADA), the National Fire Prevention Council (NFPC), Singapore Exhibition and Convention Bureau (SECB) and  Singapore Pools.  It is encouraging to see so many different agencies and organisations come together for a common purpose.  It reflects positively on the spirit of collaboration that has enabled us to make good progress in crime prevention in Singapore.

Preventing Crime from the Singapore Experience
3.      ICPC 2004 is not a one-off conference but part of a learning journey.  Allow me to begin the learning journey by highlighting two key factors that we must leverage on to move further in crime prevention.  The first has to do with upstream interventions and the second, the adoption of a multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary approach.  Besides an effective criminal justice system, both these factors have been fundamental to Singapore’s strategies to minimise crime.

Upstream Intervention
4.      First, preventing rather than reacting to crime.  We endeavour to go “upstream” in our efforts to address crime in Singapore.  In other words, to try to locate the principal causes of crime so that where possible, we correct behaviour that leads to crime, and nip problems in the bud.  For example, this may take the form of spreading the crime prevention message in schools, engaging youth in activities that boost their feeling of belonging to the school and community, and helping them to focus on doing well for themselves by using their talents and abilities.  By instilling good habits and a sense of social responsibility in our young, we are laying the foundation for a safer and more civic-conscious society.  Doing this work upstream also means saving effort and resources downstream.  It cuts down the need for repeated and resource-draining remedies to problems that could have been preempted.

A Multi-Stakeholder Approach
5.      We all recognise the significance of preventing crime.  However, we also recognise that crime is a complex phenomenon.

6.      We know that crime in most societies is underpinned by multiple causes.  At the macro level, these include the evolution of social norms and mores, the integrity of the criminal justice system, and whether there is widespread unemployment.  But we also know that individual and family habits, values and attitudes matter, even if they are formed in the context of broader social norms.  Even countries with a robust criminal justice system and with low unemployment find that individual and family values matter in the crime equation.

7.      However, we often do not know the exact cause for crime.  Cause may not always be clearly linked to effect.  While we can reasonably postulate the many causes of crime, it is equally important to understand the dynamics and complexity of the matter, and the fact that the underlying causes of crime have different effects on different groups of people.

8.      We therefore need many approaches, resources and social interventions to tackle crime, or the factors leading to crime.  We in Singapore have been taking a multi-stakeholder or multi-disciplinary approach to addressing crime.  Partnerships are formed between all agencies and parties with an interest in solving a problem.  These partnerships bring about a clearer focus and assessment of the problem, allow the agencies to pool their expertise and resources, and enable greater integration and co-ordination of work processes.  Each agency brings into the partnership its distinct area of expertise and resources to address crime, so that they can complement each other’s efforts.

9.      Two Singapore bodies that adopt the multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder approach are the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC), with its sub-committees on the various industry sectors and groups with special needs like the elderly and youths, and the Inter-Ministry Committee on Youth Crime (IMYC).  At the grassroots level, the multi-stakeholder approach is also evident through the Police’s engagement of community volunteers through Community Safety and Security Programme (CSSP) projects.  More about these agencies and programmes will be covered in the presentations as part of the conference itinerary.

Using these Two Areas of Leverage to Keep Crime Down in Singapore
10.     These two key areas of leverage in crime prevention  -  the upstream interventions and the multi-stakeholder approach  -  are worth reflecting on as we immerse ourselves in the presentations, dialogue and study visits that are part of  the conference programme.

11.     In Singapore’s case, we feel that we have reaped desirable outcomes in safety and security by using both these areas of leverage.  This is evident in Singapore’s low crime rate.  In the last five years, the crime rate per 100,000 population has been below the 1,000 mark.  This means that there is less than one reported crime case for every 100 persons.  Recent international surveys by the Political & Economic Risk Consultancy, Mercer HR Consulting and World Economic Competitiveness Report have also recognised Singapore as one of the safest places in the world.

12.     Quite apart from benefits to businesses, our low rate of crime gives citizens the peace of mind and sense of freedom as they go about their daily activities.

13.     I hope that this conference will allow all present to exchange valuable ideas and best practices in crime prevention.  I wish you all a fruitful conference ahead.