A string of rare housebreaking episodes puts an affluent Singapore neighbourhood on alert, and on edge

SINGAPORE: Residents in Singapore’s Holland and Bukit Timah area have been on heightened alert since their largely landed neighbourhood was targeted by a recent spate of rare housebreaking cases.
More residents are joining group chats used to communicate estate ongoings, and people are increasingly conscious about shutting their gates and doors as well as the need to beef up home security systems.
Most of those who spoke to CNA still felt safe, though they were concerned by the 10 housebreaking cases from June to August, believed to be carried out by foreign syndicates.
Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam said such crimes are not common at all in Singapore. “If you look at the past 10 years, there has been a decline in housebreaking cases,” he said.
The police have thus far arrested and charged three Chinese nationals, and are on the lookout for another 14 who have left Singapore.
Apart from authorities increasing patrols and installing mobile cameras at key road junctions, residents are also stepping up their own vigilance.
Retiree Mary Gan, who has lived in the enclosed Greenleaf area for over 10 years, said more people could have joined her estate group chat to be notified of information quickly, in the wake of the break-ins.
Another Greenleaf resident who only wanted to be known as Mrs Tan said those living there have “started to be more careful” and now ensure they lock their doors at night.
In the past, front gates were left open simply because people forgot to close them, said Mrs Tan, 53, who works in the logistics sector.
“As neighbours, we may message to remind each other,” she added.
“I am a bit worried. It doesn’t feel good when somebody comes into your home unexpectedly. And we know now that it can happen.”
Mrs Tan, who has lived there for about 30 years, said having an access point to the Rail Corridor hiking trail on the edge of the estate has made it harder to observe unfamiliar or suspicious characters.
“We do make a conscious effort to be vigilant, but we are unable to know whether they are here to walk (the Rail Corridor), or to check out the place to see who is in or not and then choose to strike,” she said.
An expatriate who moved into the estate a month back told CNA he was concerned for the safety of his two daughters, who are 12 and seven years old. He declined to be identified.
“The fact that it was a very planned activity, rather than some random person who just passed by and seized the opportunity, hits a bit harder,” said the man, who has worked in Singapore for 11 years.
When CNA visited one of the houses which was broken into, a woman said over the intercom that the investigation was ongoing and that she would not be able to say anything.
CNA understands that in the aftermath of the break-in, the homeowners of the unit engaged a private contractor to conduct an assessment and enhance the home security system.
Madam Muyati, a helper who has been in Bukit Sedap Road for 23 years, told CNA: “Last time, not all the houses got CCTV cameras. After the incident, a lot of them put up cameras.”
Mr Derek Peh, sales manager of security system supplier I-Secure Solution, said sales and enquiries have increased between 10 to 15 per cent for the likes of burglar alarms and closed-circuit TV or CCTV cameras, since the start of July.
“We believe it could be due to the news about the housebreaking cases recently,” he told CNA.
Their clients mostly live in landed houses, which Mr Peh said was “more prone to break-ins”. Although the recent spate of cases took place in the Bukit Timah area, new customers have also come from other estates across Singapore.
He said many people often neglect the need for precautionary measures, as they assume they would not fall prey to break-ins.
Mr Darren Loh, customer service officer at Sin Chew Alarm, said his firm has noticed an “increased alertness environment in the last few weeks”.
“We have received more calls from existing customers of our home-installed systems to go down and check and reassure them that the cameras are working for their CCTVs,” he told CNA.
This rise began in late July, and while it has received calls from clients across the country, the most noticeable increase was from those living in landed property or terrace houses in the Holland and Bukit Timah area, said Mr Loh.
He pointed out that one obstacle to installing home security systems was a perceived lack of tech savviness, and a preference for simply closing gates as a matter of safety.
Associate Professor Razwana Begum Abdul Rahim, head of the public safety and security programme at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said some people might also resist installing security systems due potential privacy issues.
She urged residents to adopt a multi-layered security approach, including high-quality locks, motion-activated lighting, alarm systems, secure fencing on the perimeter and smart home technology.
“Creating a neighborhood watch programme and maintaining open communication with neighbours can foster a community-oriented approach to security,” Assoc Prof Razwana added. “Collectively, residents should review the safety measures periodically.”