Law enforcement in Singapore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Singapore, law enforcement is principally led by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), and supported by other agencies including the Singapore Prison Service, Central Narcotics Bureau, Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, Internal Security Department, Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, and Singapore Customs. Furthermore, some law enforcement powers may be exercised by non-government entities such as auxiliary police forces and security officers.
Singapore's law enforcement system has resulted in crime being extremely low as compared to other developed nations and the world in general. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Safe Cities Index, Singapore was often ranked as the safest or one of the safest in the world, especially in regards to digital, personal and infrastructure security.[1] The country also ranks highly on the Global Peace Index, being consistently placed in the top 10 and the highest in Asia for the past decade.
Foreign travel advisories for Singapore often state that petty crime such as pickpocketing and street theft as extremely rare in Singapore. Violent crime is also deemed extremely rare and almost non-existent. Threats of terrorism remain a major concern, as is the case with most developed countries.[2] As a constant reminder from consulars to possible drug traffickers, penalties for drug offences such as trafficking in Singapore remain severe and may include capital punishment.[3]
The Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) of the United States Department of State states Singapore as being a very low-threat location for crime directed at or affecting "official U.S. government interests".[4] The foreign advisory of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China also considers Singapore as a low-risk country.[5]