While it maybe true that violent crimes in Singapore such as robbery involving firearms or deaths, or exchange of gunfire in public is almost non-existent, it appears to me that the general low crime rate here has given Singapore citizens and residents a false sense of security. Just like a lack of exposure to germs and virii would result in a low resistance to disease in a person, the lack of exposure to crime has made many Singaporeans increasing complacent and lacking in crime awareness.

Three weeks ago while having coffee at Starbucks at Raffles City with an old friend, a lone teenager left his notebook and mobile phone and just walked off to the counter to get himself another cup of beverage. He was away for a good 10 minutes at least, and everything was left unattended. While I looked around, no one was actually making an effort to keep an eye on his items.

Anyone who has been at the recently renovated Starbucks at Raffles City would know that there is now a barrier that demarcates its premises from the main thoroughfare between the main exit of City Hall MRT Station and Raffles City itself. Technically a thief can inconspicuously walk up, grab the phone or even unplug the notebook and then walk away slowly. No one would have realised that anything was amiss until the owner return to the table to discover his items gone. By then the thief would be gone in any direction. This is not the first time I notice a lone person leaving items unattended and expecting it not to be stolen. When I was in Hangzhou two years ago, the waiters or a kind-hearted patron would have reminded me to take my items with me. Even if I just leave it on the seat beside me while I eat, the waiter would have taken a piece of cloth to cover my items so that they will not attract any attention.

When I mentioned this with another friend a week later during dinner, he pointed out that even senior citizens, those who has gone through more turbulent times, have also lost their crime awareness. He remember a flail old man, after withdrawing some money from an ATM, start counting his stack of $50 notes as he walked away. Is he not aware that someone could have just followed him until he’s some where deserted, then beat him up and take his money? When I was in Malaysia a decade ago, I got a scolding from my Malaysian friend for counting my ringgit notes in his car after I made the exchange at the money changer. His exact word was: “Are you stupid? Keep your money and count discreetly. If someone smashes my windscreen to rob you now, I’ll beat you up after that if we are still alive.”

To add on, I recalled a female blogger complaining online about being stalked and allegedly molested by a stranger on the way to her rented place in Aljunied about a year or so ago. This female blogger has been known to love wearing mini-skirts, and shorts that is not just in name but in fact. If someone is wondering whether I am now suggesting that ‘she deserved it because she dressed like a slut’, my answer is no. As far as I am concerned, when a female dresses to bring attention – regardless whether it is complimentary or unflattering – to herself, it also include undesirable attention from lechers, perverts and sexual predators. It becomes even worse when one is alone in a deserted and dark place where there is no one else to divide the attention.

These examples made me suspect that because so few of us have been victims of crime, we no longer have crime awareness. So I did a quick survey on Plurk to see whether we are that fortunate. Surprisingly, out of the 9 of my friends who responded, only 2 of them have never met with a crime of any sort. The other 7 have met with crime of some sort, from theft of personal items like mobile phones to getting stalked by strangers. One of them even has the most unpleasant experience of witnessing a taxi driver getting beaten up, knowing a friend who is a victim of a hit and run case, losing an expensive flip-up full face helmet and even a pair of stinking old army boots, and accessories getting stolen from his bicycle. In fact, when I was a teenager I was once accused of staring by some hooligans and end up getting accosted before they took the miserable $13 from my wallet as ‘punishment for my audacity’. That’s not mentioning that I had even lost a Siemens S40 Mobile phone while I took a nap! And among all places, that happened in the church bookstore!

Simply put, even when there is a low crime rate in Singapore, it doesn’t mean there is no crime. Above which, I recalled being told that generally crime rate in most cities is the same (around 3%). The reason we believed Singapore is safer is due to an exaggerated exposure of media reports of violent or gruesome crimes in other cities. While 10 people taking a quick survey don’t make convincing statistics, and those friends who responded to my survey may simply be some of the most unfortunate souls in the country, it is my considered opinion that everyone has the same potential of being a victim of crime – in specific crime resulting in some form or harm or loss of possession. There is no reason why we should increase that potential by bringing the attention of criminals upon ourselves. To put it in an analogy, when everyone has the same potential of being hit by lightning, the person who walks in the open or on the ceiling of a building is simply asking for it.

Don’t blame the police for ‘not doing their work’ or the government gahmen for not letting people arm themselves adequately against criminals when one is seemingly oblivious of crime and simply asking for it. Crime prevention is more important than one’s own ability to fight off criminals, or the ability of the police in apprehending them.