More knife attacks, rape, molestation cases reported in S'pore in first half of 2025

The first six months of 2025 saw an increase in knife crimes, rape, molestation and theft cases compared with the same period in 2024.

In their mid-year crime brief released on Aug 26, the police said physical crime rose in the first half of 2025, with 10,341 cases reported from January to June 2025.

This is an increase of 5.4 per cent from the 9,809 cases reported during the same period in 2024. Theft and molestation were among the top crimes of concern.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the police said the first half of 2025 saw 75 knife-related incidents, up from the 59 cases during the same period in 2024.

There were 131 knife-related incidents for the whole of 2024.

In March, a woman was charged after she allegedly used a chopper to attack someone on the first floor of People's Park Complex in Chinatown. Three men were injured.

There were also two reported murders in the first half of 2025, compared with three during the same period in 2024.

A man was charged in March with murdering his younger brother at a Housing Board flat in Boon Lay.

In June, a man was charged with murdering a woman believed to be his mother at an HDB flat in Fernvale Road.

On Aug 26, the police said: "Over the past three years, the number of knife-related crimes has remained relatively stable. The majority of cases involved culprits known to victims."

The number of rape cases also rose in the first half of 2025 to 233, from the 188 cases during the same period in 2024.

There were 401 rape cases for the whole of 2024.

Despite this, the police said there was "no discernible trend suggesting a degradation of (the) law-and-order situation".

The police brief focused on theft and molestation, which remain their top crimes of concern.

Shop theft is still one of the top offences committed by youth, with the 2,097 cases accounting for about one in every five cases of physical crime, it said.

This is an increase of 4.2 per cent compared with the 2,013 cases of shop theft during the same period in 2024.

Most shop theft cases involving youth occurred at supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts, personal care shops and health and wellness shops.

The police said items normally stolen included food, beverages, alcohol and personal care products. More than half of the cases involved losses below $50.

The Cold Storage Takashimaya outlet recorded 36 cases in the first half of 2025, the highest of all retail outlets.

The police said that compared with other major retailers, Cold Storage and Sheng Siong reported a higher average number of shop theft cases per outlet.

They also had the highest increases in shop theft cases compared with the same period in 2024.

The police said the increase at Sheng Siong is likely due to the use of facial recognition technology to better identify offenders.

There were 788 theft in dwelling cases in the first half of 2025.

This is an increase of 5.9 per cent from the 744 cases during the same period in 2024.

The police said most cases were committed at commercial premises and dormitories.

Strangers were the biggest culprits at commercial premises.

Where offenders were known to victims, it was typically someone they had a working relationship with such as colleagues or service providers.

Housebreaking decreased significantly in the first half of 2025, with 52 cases.

This is a 20 per cent drop from the 65 cases during the same period in 2024.

Almost half of the cases happened at residential premises, with a majority in HDB flats.

Despite this, the police urged heightened vigilance at landed residential estates in light of foreign syndicates targeting such areas recently.

Molestation has gone up, with 807 cases in the first half of 2025.

This is an increase of 21.2 per cent compared with the 666 cases during the same period in 2024.

The police said victims knew their assailants in more than half of the cases.

There was also an increase in the number of molestation cases on public transport and along footpaths.

The top three locations where molestation occurred were at residential premises with 189 cases, on public transport with 90 cases and shopping complexes with 57 cases.

Molestation cases reported at public entertainment outlets remained stable with 54 cases in the first half of 2025, compared with the 51 cases in the first half of 2024.

The number of voyeurism cases dropped slightly to 252 in the first half of 2025, compared with 258 during the same period in 2024.

There were 81 voyeurism cases at residential premises, with most of the culprits being former and current partners, household members or friends.

Shopping complexes and the public transport network saw 42 cases and 27 cases respectively, with most offences committed by strangers.

Senior Assistant Commissioner Leon Chan, director of the police's operations department, said everyone can play their part in keeping Singapore safe by staying alert and looking out for suspicious activities.