Friday, October 10, 2008
09:29 by FoxTwo Many times, it has been said that Singapore has a very low crime rate. Foreign workers come here and commented at how safe they feel at night, being able to go out at 3am and yet not get mugged on the streets. Women here generally feel safe enough to be out and about alone at nights.
But, how safe is Singapore, really?
I was reading an article here, where some people decided to "test" how safe their city is. The test is simple - put an unlocked, unchained bicycle out on a street, and see how long before it gets stolen. In the article, they found that it is a fallacy that the bicycle will get stolen in seconds if left out in a "poor neighbourhood". Here's an excerpt from the article:
Since Singapore is usually compared to an "upscale shopping street", does that mean a bicycle left out in the open here will get stolen within minutes?
Incidentally this reminds me of an incident I witnessed some time last year. I was walking home, past a railing where people chain their bicycles to (a common sight in HDB estates). It wasn't that late at night, probably about 10.30pm or so.
I saw 2 men of Indian ethnicity, loitering around a bicycle. One of them had this huge wire cutter thing which he had hidden under his sarong. He brought it out and proceeded to cut the 3 chains that were locking their target bicycle. His companion who wasn't the one cutting the chains (ie, the "lookout"), had looked around and seen me looking at them.
Instead of fleeing, they nonchalantly continued their act and released the chains from the bicycle. Then, the "lookout" got onto the bicycle and rode it off, quite cool. The guy with the cutters walked behind him.
Now I am not sure what this means. It looked like they were stealing the bicycle. Or, it could be that the bicycle really belonged to the "lookout" and he may have lost his keys to the chains. All 3 of them. Unlikely I know, but it is not impossible.
Anyway, does anybody want to put this to the test? :)
09:29 by FoxTwo Many times, it has been said that Singapore has a very low crime rate. Foreign workers come here and commented at how safe they feel at night, being able to go out at 3am and yet not get mugged on the streets. Women here generally feel safe enough to be out and about alone at nights.
But, how safe is Singapore, really?
I was reading an article here, where some people decided to "test" how safe their city is. The test is simple - put an unlocked, unchained bicycle out on a street, and see how long before it gets stolen. In the article, they found that it is a fallacy that the bicycle will get stolen in seconds if left out in a "poor neighbourhood". Here's an excerpt from the article:
In the latest video posted, a bike lasted an hour without being stolen in the unsavory Constitucion neighborhood. But on the upscale shopping street of Santa Fe, a bike lasted a few short minutes before it was stolen.
Since Singapore is usually compared to an "upscale shopping street", does that mean a bicycle left out in the open here will get stolen within minutes?
Incidentally this reminds me of an incident I witnessed some time last year. I was walking home, past a railing where people chain their bicycles to (a common sight in HDB estates). It wasn't that late at night, probably about 10.30pm or so.
I saw 2 men of Indian ethnicity, loitering around a bicycle. One of them had this huge wire cutter thing which he had hidden under his sarong. He brought it out and proceeded to cut the 3 chains that were locking their target bicycle. His companion who wasn't the one cutting the chains (ie, the "lookout"), had looked around and seen me looking at them.
Instead of fleeing, they nonchalantly continued their act and released the chains from the bicycle. Then, the "lookout" got onto the bicycle and rode it off, quite cool. The guy with the cutters walked behind him.
Now I am not sure what this means. It looked like they were stealing the bicycle. Or, it could be that the bicycle really belonged to the "lookout" and he may have lost his keys to the chains. All 3 of them. Unlikely I know, but it is not impossible.
Anyway, does anybody want to put this to the test? :)
