New police command overseeing sexual crimes, family violence among moves to improve handling of such cases: Shanmugam

SINGAPORE — A new police command overseeing sexual crimes and family violence, manned by officers who specialise in investigating such cases, will be set up next year. 

It is among a series of initiatives by the Singapore Police Force aimed at improving how sexual offences are handled here.

Other measures include regular training for police officers in dealing with such cases, and a survey of sexual assault victims this year. These victims will be engaged on a voluntary basis to provide feedback on existing processes and victim care measures, and help identify areas for improvement. 

The initiatives were announced by Minister for Law and Home Affairs K Shanmugam on Tuesday (April 12) at a seminar on sexual assault awareness organised by the police. 

In his keynote speech at the Police Cantonment Complex, Mr Shanmugam said that the measures are part of the police's review on sexual crimes, which will focus on four areas:  

• Operational and investigative processes
• Training
• Public awareness of sexual crime investigation and court processes
• Community partnerships to strengthen support for victims

BETTER TRAINING FOR POLICE OFFICERS

The officers manning the upcoming Sexual Crime and Family Violence Command will be trained to deal with sexual crime and family violence cases, and also in victim management skills, Mr Shanmugam said.

As for investigation officers and front-line police officers, they will undergo regular training on sexual crime investigations and victim care. They will also attend seminars and sessions with professionals to discuss best practices relating to sexual crimes.

Two other initiatives will also be launched in the coming months.

One is a revamped website, which will provide information on how sexual assault cases are investigated, as well as support services for victims. It will be launched later this year.

The other is a new community-led charity called SG Her Empowerment Limited, or SHE, which was launched this month to address issues affecting women.

It will set up a victim support centre for online and sexual harm, work with platforms to simplify the reporting of harmful online content for removal, and work with the Law Society of Singapore to provide pro bono legal advice to victims.

Mr Shanmugam added that SHE will also work with other organisations to roll out programmes aimed at enhancing women’s development here. 

TAPPING TECHNOLOGY, DNA MATCHING

In tackling sexual crimes, the police will continue to tap police cameras as well as rely on DNA profiling. 

The police had earlier announced that the 90,000 cameras installed islandwide will more than double to 200,000.

Mr Shanmugam also noted that many crimes get solved through DNA profiling.

He gave the example of a case where the police managed to bring a rapist to trial after it had been unsolved for more than a decade.

This was possible by matching the DNA profile from a rape scene and the victim’s body with a blood sample from another case.

“Without the powers to collect and retain DNA evidence, the rapist would not have been caught. So we are looking at these powers of collection and retention,” Mr Shanmugam said.

He added that he will make announcements on this front in due course.

TOUGH STANCE ON SEXUAL CRIMES

Mr Shanmugam on Tuesday stressed that the Government takes a firm stance on dealing with sexual offences, and it has, over the years, strengthened legislative levers and reviewed processes for handling such offences.

Last September, a Bill to toughen the punishment for certain sexual offences was passed in Parliament.

The three sexual offences that saw their maximum jail terms increased were:

• Molestation, or outrage of modesty – From two to three years
• Sexual activity in the presence of a minor aged between 14 and 16, or showing a sexual image to the minor – From one to two years
• Sexual activity in the presence of a minor aged between 16 and 18, or showing a sexual image to the minor, if the offender is in an exploitative relationship with the minor – From one to two years

Mr Shanmugam added that efforts have also been made to raise public awareness about sexual assault, such as engaging with educational institutions on this.  

“We are reviewing what more we should do.” 

Between 2017 and 2020, there were about 9,200 reports of sexual assault, which includes rape, outrage of modesty and offences involving children and vulnerable victims. Of these, 869 were allegedly committed by family members or relatives.

Last year, outrage of modesty cases accounted for 42.3 per cent of all sex crime cases that were reported.

The number of such cases also rose about 12 per cent to 1,480 in 2021 from 1,321 the year before. The police said that this increase was partly due to a lower number of outrage of modesty cases recorded due to the semi-lockdown implemented in April 2020 to tackle the Covid-19 outbreak.