Question:
Mr. Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs (a) what is the current number of (i) police officers and (ii) crimes committed, per 100,000 population; and (b) how do these figures compare with other major cities in the world like London, New York and Hong Kong.
Answer:
1. In 2014, Singapore's overall crime rate was 591 cases per 100,000 population. Our crime level is low compared to major cities such as London, New York and Hong Kong.
2. This low crime rate has been achieved with a lean Police Force. As at December 2015, there were about 9,400 regular Police Officers serving in the Singapore Police Force. This translates to about 170 Police Officers per 100,000 population, which is low compared to other cities such as London, New York and Hong Kong that the member had asked about.
