I’ve made reference to Singapore’s conservative nature in the past, and I’m sure you have heard of the laws in place here against the evil chewing gum brands of the world.
This big push for conservative tendencies and for a squeaky clean international image naturally means that there are some strict laws and little, if any tolerance, for breaking those laws. To be honest I have never in my life felt safer than living here in Singapore, the city just seems so welcoming to good law abiding travelers.
You can even ask around Singapore, and in general no one has actually seen a crime being committed. Maybe everyone is just too tired from all the heat, or too full from all the food. I know I’m guilty on both accounts.
I’ve been told the most danger you could actually be in is a car accident of some kind. And that is even extremely unlikely due to the ridiculously high cost of buying and owning a car in Singapore. (Seriously this city has absolutely no traffic, it’s insane.) So in general if you are one of the few who has a car, or are a taxi driver, you take great pains NOT to crash it.
Don’t get me wrong I am not complaining about feeling safe here or the near complete absence of crime in Singapore, but I am more confused at how all this is accomplished. You see that little cardboard police officer I up there? That was the only law enforcement officer I saw for the first week I was here in Singapore. No joke.
Now if I really look I can see a group of two or three police officers in the MRT stations, but only during and after work when the stations are the most crowded. In America if someone wanted to make a place safe, generally I would expect them to try and put the most amount of man power into that area. Please correct me if you think this is wrong, but for example take any sporting event in the US, right on the sides of the field between the players and fans is a small army of police and security officers.
What I have noticed however is the vast amount of CCTVs everywhere you can think of. And then there are the ample amounts of security guards, at least a handful or so for any residential structure and teams within public shopping areas.
The best theory I can come up with is that the Singaporean government operates under the principle of “And when he prepares everywhere he will be weak everywhere.” by Sun Tzu. (That’s some knowledge right there; write that in your book report kids.) Meaning instead of putting innumerable officers out in the streets, why not have the CCTVs cover the city and respond en masse (I’m on a roll.) to the trouble. This way there isn’t the direct show of force by the police, more of an extreme threat of retaliation. Also having a criminal’s face on video tape is a lot more believable than a description by an officer that saw someone’s face.
Or it could just be that Singapore is in fact the real life inspiration for Disney World, the friendliest place on earth. It’s possible.
tylerkellyon 