In the United States (US), gangs and gang-related criminal activities remain prevalent. Gangs there actively recruit new members, have carved out drug distribution territories and collaborate with other criminal groups for power and financial gains. They are well-organised and have significant reach and influence even across the US borders.
In August 2023, the United Nations reported that hundreds of thousands of people are being trafficked by criminal gangs and coerced into working in scam centres and other illegal operations across Southeast Asia. Billions of dollars are made annually by such gangs, who force the victims into crime and subject them to threats, torture and even sexual violence. This is happening at our doorstep.
There is a strong nexus between gang membership and violent crimes. Studies have found that gangs reinforce violent behaviour by routinely exposing gang members to high-risk situations and rewarding them for their violence. Moreover, gang members often see violence as a way to earn respect, status and reputation.
Because of the way gangs operate, witness intimidation in gang trials is a serious concern for many jurisdictions and an obstacle to justice. The true extent of this is impossible to measure, because witness intimidation is often not reported. Gangs have also used technology and social networking sites, such as X formerly known as Twitter,Instagram and Facebook, to intimidate witnesses.
In a recent incident in Virginia, US, a member of a street gang intimidated witnesses by posting their names on Instagram and calling for gang members to gather in the court room to “watch the snitches snitching”. As a result, some witnesses pulled out of testifying and the trial had to be postponed.
When criminals, such as gangs and secret societies, cannot be brought to justice for their crimes, then the criminal justice system has failed. Instead of the people feeling protected, a climate of fear envelopes the society. The people lose confidence in the criminal justice system and, ultimately, the state.
As I explained earlier, the Act is used where prosecution is not viable, because witnesses are unwilling to testify in court for fear of reprisal. Witness intimidation is a problem in Singapore too. Some countries have witness relocation and protection programmes. However, because Singapore is so small, witness relocation would not be feasible or effective. Even in big countries, these measures are not always foolproof. Moreover, witness protection programmes take a very heavy toll on the protected witnesses.
They have to change their identity, change their job and cut off contact with families and friends. We should ask ourselves: why should witnesses and victims have to bear heavy personal costs, in bringing secret society members to justice?
In Singapore, there are still active secret societies, although not in the numbers and scale in some other countries. Nevertheless, they are still a menace to law and order, public safety and security. They recruit young Singaporeans, and engage in illicit activities and violent conduct. That is why we must continue to clamp down on them.
I will give you a few recent examples of when we had to use the powers under the Act.
One incident took place on 9 November 2021 at about 4.00 am. Ten gang members gathered at a rival gang member’s flat. They were armed with deadly weapons including a machete, a knuckle duster and a karambit knife. They were there to seek revenge as they believed that a rival gang member had assaulted their "Headman". When they found out that the rival gang member was not at home, they attacked his family members instead. They punched and kicked the person’s parents, brother and sister. The father suffered a facial bone fracture while the mother sustained a forearm fracture. Seven of the gang members were dealt with under the Act.
Another incident took place on 8 January 2022 at about 10.30 pm. There was a gang clash between rival secret societies at Circular Road. During the riot, gang members of one of the secret societies chased and assaulted the rival gang members.The rival gang members were kicked and punched in full view of the public. One gang member used a knife to stab a rival gang member’s leg. Four of the gang members were dealt with under the Act.
In addition to gang-related incidents, the Act is also used against organised crimes such as unlicensed moneylending. In 2019, we used the Act to detain a number of leaders and financiers of an unlicensed moneylending syndicate, which was linked to more than 1,800 cases of harassment of debtors in Singapore.
Without the Act, we would not have been able to do much against them. The victims and witnesses feared reprisal and were not willing to testify. The perpetrators would have been able to carry on with their violence and intimidation with impunity.
Sir, to conclude, we continue to have to use the Act. We cannot be complacent about the safety and security that Singaporeans enjoy today, that we do not live in fear of gangs and secret societies and are not intimidated by them, unlike in many other countries. The Act is an essential tool for the Government to ensure this.Sir, I beg to move.
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