Assaults at Dormitories involving Migrant Workers from Different Nationalities
Ministry of Home AffairsSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the number of assault incidents involving migrant workers at dormitories and their potential racial motivations, as raised by Mr Murali Pillai. Minister of State Sun Xueling reported approximately 990 cases, including affray and rioting, between 2020 and 2022, noting none were reported to be racially motivated. She explained that operators must meet licensing conditions, such as installing closed-circuit television systems and deploying security officers, to ensure safety. The Police also work with operators to engage residents on crime prevention and security matters to proactively reduce the risk of such incidents. These mandatory security arrangements and resident engagement efforts represent the key proactive measures taken to maintain order within dormitories.
Transcript
20 Mr Murali Pillai asked the Minister for Home Affairs in the past three years (a) how many incidents of assault involving migrant workers at dormitories have been reported to the Singapore Police Force; (b) of the number of incidents reported, how many have racial undertones; and (c) what proactive steps have been taken to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring.
The Minister of State for Home Affairs (Ms Sun Xueling) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, there were about 990 cases of assault involving migrant workers at dormitories reported to the Police from 2020 to 2022. These include cases of affray and rioting. A minority of the cases involve persons of different races. As far as we are aware, none were reported to be racially motivated.
The Police work with the dormitory operators on safety and security issues. The operators are required as part of licensing conditions under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), to put in place security arrangements, including closed circuit television systems and deployment of security officers. The Police also work with the operators to engage dormitory residents on crime prevention and safety and security matters.
3.00 pm
Mr Speaker: Order. The Clerk will now proceed to read the Orders of the Day.
[Pursuant to Standing Order No 22(3), provided that Members had not asked for questions standing in their names to be postponed to a later Sitting day or withdrawn, written answers to questions not reached by the end of Question Time are reproduced in the Appendix.]