1. Thank you, Mr President.
2. Singapore would like to thank Japan for hosting the Congress under the present challenging circumstances.
3. We appreciate Ambassador Takeshi Hikihara and his team for leading the discussions on the Kyoto
Declaration, which will guide global efforts in combating transnational crime for the next five years.
Singapore’s Approach to Crime Prevention
4. Singapore’s approach to tackling transnational crime is underpinned by our strong emphasis on the rule of law,
criminal justice measures and effective implementation of crime prevention policies.
5. We have tough laws against crime, highly professional law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies, as well as an
independent and effective judiciary.
6. Our approach has yielded positive outcomes.
a. The overall crime rate, as well as incidence of drug abuse remain low.
b. The Gallup 2020 Global Law and Order Report ranked Singapore first on public perceptions of law and order, for
seven consecutive years.
International Cooperation
7. Singapore recognises that regional and international cooperation are key to tackling transnational organised crime.
8. We therefore support the role of the CCPCJ and collaborate with the UNODC as well as strategic partners from the
global law enforcement community, such as INTERPOL.
9. We are an active voice at the FATF, as it sets standards for an effective response to anti-money laundering and
terrorism financing.
Rehabilitation and Reintegration
10. Singapore invests heavily to rehabilitate offenders. We also work closely with the community to help
ex-offenders reintegrate into society.
11. Psychology-based correctional programmes aim to address offenders’ criminogenic risks and needs. They can
also participate in family support programmes, employability skills training and further education.
12. Singapore’s throughcare rehabilitation efforts have kept our recidivism rate low and stable. About 8 out of 10
inmates who were released in 2018 stayed out of prison in the first 2 years of release.[1]
13. We look forward to sharing more on our rehabilitation efforts at the ancillary meeting later today.
Conclusion
14. Mr President, despite these extraordinary times, we must continue to coordinate and intensify crime prevention
efforts, nationally, regionally and globally.
15. We are confident that this Congress will achieve its objectives under your able leadership and the efforts of the
UNODC.
16. Together, we can protect our societies from the scourge of crime and ensure that ‘crime does not
pay’. Thank you.
[1] Recidivism rate is defined as the percentage of local offenders under the custody of the Singapore Prison
Service, who were subsequently detained or sentenced to imprisonment or day reporting order within two years
of release into the community. This definition has been applied to the 2018 release cohort onwards.
