The crime scenario in seven categories has significantly dipped to 30-year old low in Singapore, reflecting an improvement in the law and order situation, said the police at the annual crime briefing. The overall crime rate went down by 2.6 per cent.
However, the main area of concern in Singapore related to love cheats as they duped their victims with overall loss of SGD 24 million.
The number of violent or serious property crimes fell from 299 in 2015 to 248 in 2016, a decrease of 17.1 per cent, while housebreaking and related crimes saw 285 cases, a 16.2 per cent decrease from 340 in 2015.
There was a 9.5 per cent fall in theft and related crimes, to 14,127 in 2016 compared to 15,615 the previous year.
There were 636 Internet love scams cases last year, up from 385 in 2015. The total amount cheated in 2016 stood at $24 million.
Police added that 2016 saw 135 days free from crimes such as snatch theft, housebreaking and robbery. This is 31 days more than the previous year's figure.