1. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will be including wildlife trade offences as serious offences in the Schedule of the Organised Crime Act 2015 (OCA) with effect from 30 August 2024.
Background
2. The OCA was enacted in 2015 to empower law enforcement agencies with additional levers to deal with organised crime activities in Singapore. There are three aspects of the OCA that allow law enforcement agencies to take more effective action against organised crime groups (OCGs):
(a) Enhanced penalties. The OCA empowers the courts to impose enhanced penalties for offences listed as serious offences in the Schedule of the OCA. Depending on the facts and circumstances of the case, a person who commits such offences could face up to 20 years of imprisonment.
(b) Prevention Orders. Prevention Orders may be granted by the courts to prevent, restrict, or disrupt the involvement of persons in OCGs.
(c) Civil Confiscation. The OCA provides for the civil confiscation of benefits from persons involved in organised crime activities, so as to deprive them of their ill-gotten gains.
3. Offences listed as serious offences in the Schedule of the OCA are typically those which we assess to pose a serious threat to public safety and security, and which are associated with organised crime. Currently, these include drug-related offences and unlicensed moneylending.
Inclusion of Wildlife Trade Offences
4. MHA, in consultation with the Ministry of National Development, has decided to include wildlife trade offences as serious offences in the Schedule of the OCA. The Annex lists the specific offences which will be included in the Schedule.
5. While past cases of wildlife trade offences investigated by the National Parks Board had not found linkages to OCGs in Singapore, we do not preclude such a possibility in the future. International wildlife trafficking operates through a sophisticated cross-border supply chain. There is a risk that OCGs in Singapore could get involved in the trade. The inclusion of wildlife trade offences as serious offences in the Schedule of the OCA is thus a proactive measure to enhance deterrence, and empower the authorities to enforce against and cripple the operations of these OCGs, should such activities emerge in Singapore in the future.
Annex
1.
List of Wildlife Trade Offences to Be Included As Serious Offences in the Schedule of the Organised Crime Act 2015 (PDF, 34.9 KB)
