Trespass and Unauthorised Access to Private Properties and Restricted Areas

2 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) in each of the last five years, how many cases of trespass and unauthorised access to private properties and restricted areas, such as rooftops and military areas, have been reported to the Police; (b) how many cases involved (i) death (ii) injuries and (iii) damage to properties; (c) what are the main reasons for such trespass; (d) how many of these cases involved minors; and (e) what are the measures put in place to enhance the security of these sites.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Home Affairs (Mr Amrin Amin) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Over the past five years, an average of about 580 cases of trespass were reported to the Police annually. This includes cases of unauthorised access to private properties and restricted areas.

Of these, an average of 30 cases each year involved acts which caused some damage to properties, that is, mischief and vandalism. Police do not track trespass cases by whether they involve death and injuries.

Each year, over the past five years, there was an average of about 700 persons arrested for trespassing and about 12% were youths under the age of 16 years old. Police's experience suggests that cases of trespass committed by youths were often due to peer influence or a desire to seek thrill in their free time. These youths would trespass into unoccupied schools, rooftops and other places.

Individuals may also have trespassed into private land and state land for various other reasons, including illicit activities, such as vice, or less malicious reasons, such as to access fishing sites at the beaches or to pick durians.

Where appropriate, Police work with stakeholders to enhance the security of sites to prevent and deter trespass. For example, there are signs in restricted areas, such as military installations and training grounds, as well as SLA's state lands, to warn the public against trespassing. Police have also put up Crime Alert signages at areas where there have been incidents, and work with Town Councils to ensure that HDB rooftops are secured to prevent unauthorised access.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): I thank the Parliamentary Secretary for the reply. I have one supplementary question. May I know how often reviews are carried out at protected areas to ensure they are secured and adequately guarded against intrusions, especially in this day and age when drones are becoming increasingly an accessible equipment.

Mr Amrin Amin: I thank the Member for the question. The Home Team works together with owners of security-sensitive locations to regularly review their adequacy of security measures based on the prevailing threat assessment. This includes threats from unmanned aircraft which are prohibited from flying over security-sensitive locations without a permit under the Air Navigation Act. Law enforcement officers can end the flight or assume control of an unmanned aircraft if it poses a risk to the public or is flown in a way that contravenes regulations under the Air Navigation Act.

Enforcement agencies have also been building up their capability to counter safety and security threats posed by unmanned aircraft. This includes the ability to detect and identify the unmanned aircraft, to locate its operator or take down the aircraft safely.