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Source:
www.gov.sg |
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Excerpted from Speech by
Home Affairs Minister Wong Kan Seng at Home Team Flagship Workshop 2005
on 3 Feb 2005. |
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"2004 has been another eventful
year for the Home Team - from the emergency response actions at the Nicoll
Highway collapse to the recent tsunami disaster, to continued
counter-terrorism actions, even as we sustained crime-busting and drug
enforcement actions, preventive programmes and rehabilitation efforts. |
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"The Home Team has done a good job keeping
Singapore safe and secure. The crime situation remains stable and under
control. The total number of seizable offences rose slightly by 3 per cent to
34,480 offences recorded. |
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"Much of the increase can be attributed to minor
crimes, in particular theft and related offences, as well as a significant
rise in drink-driving cases owing to increased enforcement efforts. |
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"Such offences can often be prevented if members
of the public take the necessary crime prevention measures, and do not drink
and drive. |
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"Most of the major offences such as housebreaking,
robbery, rape, cheating and related offences, registered decreases. |
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"The drug situation has improved significantly in
2004. The total number of drug abusers arrested fell from 1,809 to 950, the
first time that the number of total drug abusers has fallen below the one
thousand mark. Fewer new drug abusers were also arrested, from 730 to 609 last
year. |
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"Despite the improving drug situation, we should
still be wary of synthetic drug abuse which remains an area of concern in
other countries. The Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) will monitor the local
drug scene closely and take decisive action against drug offenders. |
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"The Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) attended
last year to more fire incidents and Emergency Ambulance Services (EAS) cases.
There were 4,916 fire incidents last year, a rise of eight per cent or 376
more cases over 2003. |
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"Many fire incidents could have been prevented
because the bulk of fire cases last year involved rubbish and discarded items
left at common residential areas. |
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"Last year, the SCDF attended to over 3,800 more
EAS cases, bringing the total number of such cases to 82,870, as compared with
66,958 EAS cases in 2000. |
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"The number of EAS cases has been rising in the
last few years. We cannot leave this rise unchecked because it would degrade
the SCDF ambulance’s response to emergency cases. The SCDF would step up its
efforts to educate the public on not to use the EAS for non-emergency cases. |
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"On the immigration front, enhanced security
checks have enabled the Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) to detect
18,255 cases of contraband smuggling. The number of illegal immigrants and
overstayers arrested last year is 11,790, 60 fewer persons arrested as
compared to 2003..." |
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Source:
Ministry of Home Affairs Press Release 3
Feb 2005 |
Home Team Report Card for 2004
