Singapore Faces Spike in Molestation Cases, Rising Over 20% in Just Six Months

The first half of 2025 saw a 21.2% increase in outrage of modesty, or molestation, cases in Singapore compared to the same period in 2024.

According to police mid-year physical crime statistics released Tuesday, August 26, the number of such cases reported from January to June this year increased from 666 to 807.

Of the 10,341 physical crime cases that occurred in the first half of the year, molestation cases made up 7.8%.

Compared to the 9,809 cases reported during the same six-month period last year, the total number of cases increased by 5.4%.

The perpetrators in over half of the cases were people the victims knew. The police also observed a rise in incidents occurring on sidewalks, pavements, and public transportation.

In the first half of 2025, 90 cases were reported for the former, compared to 64 cases during the same time last year.

“The SPF (Singapore Police Force) will continue to work with public transport operators and partners, including SBS Transit, SMRT Corporation, Land Transport Authority and NCPC (National Crime Prevention Council) to disseminate crime advisories within the public transport network,” said the police, as reported by CNA.

In addition, they are collaborating with interested parties to issue crime warnings against the outrage of modesty on bus hangers starting at the end of this month.

“The display of these bus hangers aims to enhance bus commuters’ awareness, equip them with knowledge on common (outrage of modesty) modus operandi and tips to protect themselves, with a ‘call-to-action’ to alert the police when such offences are witnessed,” the police added, urging the community to watch out for one another and report suspicious activities.

In addition to public transportation, residential buildings and shopping malls were the usual locations for outrage of modesty offenses. While fewer cases were reported in shopping centers, more were reported at residential locations.

According to the police, the situation at public entertainment venues has “remained stable.” There were 54 cases in the first half of this year, up from 51 in the same period last year.

From 258 cases in the first half of 2024 to 252 cases this year, voyeurism cases decreased by 2.3% six cases.

These accounted for 2.4% of all physical crime cases. However, the police stated that voyeurism was still a crime of concern.

The areas with the highest number of voyeurism cases this year have been residential buildings, shopping malls, and public transportation systems.

The police said that most of the crimes at residential locations were committed by criminals that the victims knew, such as friends, family members, or partners from the victims’ past or present.

They also noted that the perpetrators in cases at shopping malls and on public transportation were typically people the victims were unaware of.

After 11 cases were reported in the first half of 2024, there were only six voyeurism cases at sports and swimming complexes.

Adapting tactics for outrage of modesty cases, SPF has put public education measures into place to combat voyeurism in the public transportation network.

Additionally, the police collaborated with the Restroom Association of Singapore to implement security design guidelines for public restrooms. These guidelines included the installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras at restroom entrances, the use of full-height toilet partitions, and improved lighting.

In order to prevent voyeurism, the police recommended that people be vigilant when using public restrooms and changing areas and keep an eye out for any strange objects, such as hidden cameras or suspicious gadgets.

According to the police, they should also be on the lookout for odd holes in walls, odd wiring, and objects that don’t seem to belong. They should also be wary of people who hold their phones or bags in odd ways, especially close to cubicle gaps.