More rape, molestation cases in first half of 2026, even as total number of physical crimes drops

SINGAPORE - On an empty bus with many vacant seats, an elderly man chose to sit next to a young woman.

He touched her thigh repeatedly, molesting her as she sat there frozen.

Ow Cheow Yam, 55, an assistant operations manager, witnessed this on June 27 and approached the distressed victim, showing her a message on his phone asking if she knew the man.

She shook her head and Ow asked her to sit somewhere else, while he confronted the culprit who initially denied any wrongdoing and tried to leave the bus.

But Ow stopped him and the police were called and arrested him.

Cases of sexual assault in Singapore are increasing.

According to the police’s mid-year crime brief released on Aug 24, the top crimes of concern were outrage of modesty, shop theft, and theft in dwelling.

There were 762 cases of molest in the first six months of 2026, compared to 739 in the same period in 2025.

The number of rape cases also rose from 230 in the first half of 2025 to 261 in the first half of 2026.

This is despite a decrease in the total number of physical crime cases from 10,325 cases in the first half of 2025 to 10,287 in the first half of 2026.

Most of the molest cases in the first half of 2026 happened in residential premises, on the public transport network and at public entertainment outlets.

Ow, who was commended with a SaferSG Public Spiritedness Award on Aug 17, said it was his sense of justice that made him step forward.

He said: “It happened right in front of me, and I felt very angry.

“Many times, victims suffer in silence. I hope my actions encourage others to step up, to step forward to help. Community safety is everyone’s responsibility.”

Another recent recipient of the award was Vickneswary Krishnan, 51, a security supervisor at Tekka Place.

On Aug 10, 2025, she saw a woman confronting a drunk man who had touched her thigh on an escalator.

The man kept claiming he was innocent, to the point the victim started to doubt herself.

Despite the victim saying she was unsure if she should make a police report, Vickneswary took down the particulars of both parties.

She reviewed security footage and saw the man had been following the woman up several floors before molesting her.

Vickneswary then informed the woman who made a police report, leading to the man’s arrest.

Vickneswary said women sometimes may not want to speak up because they are worried those around them will not listen.

But she believes justice will prevail and there will be good people who will help them.

She said: “If something isn’t right, speak up. And for the public, instead of just taking and posting videos on social media, I hope they will step in to help when they come across such incidents.”

In most rape and molest cases, the offenders and victims know each other.

The police said they take a serious view of all sexual offences regardless of the relationship between the offender and victim, adding that those who exploit positions of trust, familiarity or access to prey on victims will be dealt with sternly.

The number of other violent crime cases did not see much change as compared to the previous year.

Knife-related incidents went up by one to 68 cases in the first half of 2026, while murders remained at two.

In March, a 48-year-old man was charged with murder after an elderly man died following a fight in Geylang.

In May, a 22-year-old man was accused of murdering a woman inside a lift in Choa Chu Kang.

Housebreaking cases up

However, housebreaking and theft went up.

There were 64 cases of housebreaking reported in the first half of 2026, compared with 56 in the same period in 2025.

Almost half of these cases were in residential premises, with an even mix between public and private housing.

Shop theft increased to 2,095 in the first half of 2026, from the 2,050 cases in the first half of 2025.

Items typically stolen included food, drinks, clothes and personal care products.

The police said shop theft remains one of the top offences committed by youth, a majority of whom target supermarkets, convenience stores, minimarts, personal care, health and wellness shops.

Sheng Siong has been using facial recognition technology to catch shoplifters since 2024, with the police saying it helps identify those who return, including those who were not caught the first time.

Watsons has also started using similar technology across all its outlets, added the police.

Theft in dwelling cases increased slightly to 730 in the first half of 2026, compared with 726 in the first half of 2025.

The police said the public should not leave their personal belongings unattended in common spaces and shared facilities.

Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Leon Chan, director of the Singapore Police Force’s Operations Department, said Singapore continues to be one of the safest places in the world with the crime situation remaining stable.

He said businesses, community partners and members of the public all have a role to play in preventing, deterring and detecting crime, and the police will continue to work closely with the community.