The crime rate in Singapore is one of the lowest in the world although Singapore does have a very high incarceration rate, and sends criminals guilty of drug related crimes to drug rehabilitation centers (operated by the Singapore Prison Service) which arguably conceals their true crime rate. There are reports of petty crime such as pickpocketing

Pickpocketing

Pickpocketing is a form of larceny that involves the stealing of money or other valuables from the person of a victim without their noticing the theft at the time. It requires considerable dexterity and a knack for misdirection...

 and street theft

Theft

In common usage, theft is the illegal taking of another person's property without that person's permission or consent. The word is also used as an informal shorthand term for some crimes against property, such as burglary, embezzlement, larceny, looting, robbery, shoplifting and fraud...

 which occurs at airports, tourist destinations, hotels and on public transport. Incidents of violent crime

Violent crime

A violent crime or crime of violence is a crime in which the offender uses or threatens to use violent force upon the victim. This entails both crimes in which the violent act is the objective, such as murder, as well as crimes in which violence is the means to an end, such as robbery. Violent...

 are rare in Singapore

Singapore

Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...

. There is an increase in credit card fraud

Credit card fraud

Credit card fraud is a wide-ranging term for theft and fraud committed using a credit card or any similar payment mechanism as a fraudulent source of funds in a transaction. The purpose may be to obtain goods without paying, or to obtain unauthorized funds from an account. Credit card fraud is also...

 in the nation. Mobile phone

Mobile phone

A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...

s have in the past been the main target for robbers and snatch thieves

Snatch theft

In Malaysia and Southeast Asia in general, snatch theft is a criminal act of forcefully stealing from a pedestrian's person while employing rob-and-run tactics. It is typical for two thieves to work together and ride a moped to make theft and escape easier. A person steers the vehicle while another...

. But according to the Singapore Police Force

Singapore Police Force

The Singapore Police Force is the main agency tasked with maintaining law and order in the city-state. Formerly known as the Republic of Singapore Police , it has grown from an 11-man organisation to a 38,587 strong force...

 (SPF), mobile phone related crimes have decreased because of public education and stricter law enforcement.

Due to aggressive law enforcement efforts, drug abuse

Drug abuse

Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, refers to a maladaptive pattern of use of a substance that is not considered dependent. The term "drug abuse" does not exclude dependency, but is otherwise used in a similar manner in nonmedical contexts...

 is limited in the country. However, as a transportation and financial services hub, Singapore is vulnerable, despite strict laws and enforcement, as a venue for money laundering

Money laundering

Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...

. According to the 2007 Global Economic Crime Survey by the PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers

PricewaterhouseCoopers is a global professional services firm headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's largest professional services firm measured by revenues and one of the "Big Four" accountancy firms....

 (PwC), approximately 19% of the companies in Singapore have been victims of economic crime over the past two years which was an increase from 16% in 2005. Among the different types of economic crime, there was an increase in IP infringement, money laundering and corruption and bribery

Bribery

Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...

.

Threat of terrorist attack

Terrorism

Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...

 is a matter of concern. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Australia)

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is a department of the government of Australia charged with advancing the interests of Australia and its citizens internationally...

 (DFAT) of the Government of Australia

Government of Australia

The Commonwealth of Australia is a federal constitutional monarchy under a parliamentary democracy. The Commonwealth of Australia was formed in 1901 as a result of an agreement among six self-governing British colonies, which became the six states...

 advised travelers to "exercise caution" because of the high threat of terrorist attack. Terrorists can target Western interests in the country. Potential targets of a terrorist attack include commercial and public areas frequented by foreign citizens such as hotels, restaurants, clubs, bars, schools, markets, places of worship, outdoor recreation events and tourist areas. DFAT further reported that terrorist groups can also target the premises and symbols associated with the Government of Singapore

Government of Singapore

The Government of Singapore is defined by the Constitution of the Republic of Singapore to mean the Executive branch of government, which is made up of the President and the Cabinet of Singapore. Although the President acts in his personal discretion in the exercise of certain functions as a check...

. According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...

 (FCO), "Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers".

According to available crime statistics, theft and robbery decreased in the first half of 2006. There was an increase in rape

Rape

Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...

 during this time, but it was negligible. During the first half of 2007, motor vehicle theft

Motor vehicle theft

Motor vehicle theft is the criminal act of stealing or attempting to steal a motor vehicle...

 increased by 25 percent. The Regional Security Officer (RSO) recorded that the total cases of criminal homicides

Homicide

Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...

 at the end of 2007 was approximately eight. All murder cases during this period have been solved. Overall crime in the first half of 2008 increased by 1% compared to the total number of crimes registered during the same period in 2007. The Singapore Police Force identified three key crimes in the first half of 2008: phone scams, crimes against the elderly and theft from vehicles. In the Corruption Perceptions Index

Corruption Perceptions Index

Since 1995, Transparency International publishes the Corruption Perceptions Index annually ranking countries "by their perceived levels of corruption, as determined by expert assessments and opinion surveys." The CPI generally defines corruption as "the misuse of public power for private...

 2010, Singapore was ranked 1st out of 178 countries for corruption (least corrupt countries are at the top of the list). On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being the most corrupt and 10 the most transparent, Transparency International

Transparency International

Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption in international development. It publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a comparative listing of corruption worldwide...

rated Singapore 9.3.