It’s no secret that most of us feel safe on Singapore’s streets but that doesn’t mean crime is totally non-existent. From the countless police boards that list instances of bicycle thefts or shoplifting, every estate seems to have its fair share of petty criminals. That said, Singapore does have its fair share of safest neighbourhoods with significantly lower numbers of crime.
To define exactly what crimes make a neighbourhood unsafe, we’ve taken some of the most common crimes reported or seen on SPF billboards, like snatch theft, robberies, unlicensed moneylending, and harassment as our parameters. With some context in mind, here are some of the safest HDB estates.
1. Bukit Timah
Image credit: @feliciatan.yj
Commonly known as the “rich-people” estate, Bukit Timah has been ranked the safest neighbourhood in Singapore since statistics have proven it so in 2016. Even to this day, Bukit Timah consistently holds its spot as one of the safest estates with Bukit Timah NPC having reported one of the fewest crime cases.
Perhaps rich residents might not have much reason to steal, or they’re likely to have better security systems, which explains why there were close to zero robberies or snatch-thefts in the area making it a prime location if you’re hoping to keep possession of your belongings. Though Bukit Timah may not have zero crimes, its consistently low crime rate through the years has placed it at the top of this list.
2. Bishan
Image credit: @jents
Bishan may be most people’s top choice for a BTO or resale thanks to its central location but if you needed one more thing to convince you, it would be that it’s one of the top few safest HDB estates in Singapore.
Just like Bukit Timah, Bishan has had little to no incidents of snatch theft or other crimes like unlicensed moneylending based on 2020 statistics from data.gov. With access to both Bishan Park and huge malls like Junction 8, Bishan is a great place to settle down and you won’t have to worry about leaving your door unlocked, or your kids running errands on their own.
3. Kampong Java
Image credit: 99.co
Not only is Kampong Java home to KK hospital and within close proximity to everyone’s favourite supper spot, Swee Choon, this estate also ranks pretty high on the safest estates list.
Since the early 2010s, Kampong Java has become significantly safer with instances of break-ins and robberies decreasing throughout the years. In 2020, Kampong Java also recorded one of the fewest cases of unlicensed moneylending and harassment racking up about 11 and 64 cases compared to about 180 in other areas like Choa Chu Kang.
4. Marine Parade
Image credit: @viv_chong
Built entirely on reclaimed land, Marine Parade is also home to HDBs and condos with breathtaking sea views, and its fair share of freehold landed property. Other than that, this prime location can also be praised for having a low crime rate.
Accumulating about a total of around only 70 cases of unlicensed moneylending and harassment, Marine Parade is a relatively crime-free area.
5. Orchard
Image credit: Hello Singapore Tours
Not only everyone’s go-to for weekend plans or to see the annual Christmas lights, Orchard is also listed as one of the safest neighbourhoods with the least number of cases of unlicensed moneylending and harassment.
Though the average for these two crimes appear to come up to about 100 in various neighbourhoods, Orchard only saw one case of unlicensed moneylending and 43 cases of harassment in 2020.
Honorable mentions
Ang Mo Kio
Image credit: Wikipedia
True enough, most of the safest estates tend to be in the central area, which is why Ang Mo Kio pops up as an honourable mention. As one of the most populated areas in Singapore – coming in at a population of around 138,000 people as of 2019 – Ang Mo Kio still has a relatively low crime rate compared to the other densely populated areas.
Despite the high concentration of residents, the Ang Mo Kio NPCs reported around only 180 cases of unlicensed moneylending and harassment in 2020 which is slightly below the average crime rate in Singapore which is about 656 cases per 100,000 people based on last year’s statistics.
Least safe neighbourhood
Woodlands
Image credit: TheSmartLocal
If you expected to see Yishun at the end of this list, you might be surprised to know that Woodlands is actually Singapore’s least safe estate. While Yishun may be known as the ghetto of Singapore thanks to its list of bizarre crimes, a data analyst, Alex Ang, actually did the math and found that Woodlands had one of the highest instances of drug cases.
This information was derived from mainstream news, calculating the frequency of crime reports for a particular area. Using a series of codes, Alex found that the word “drugs” came up most prominently for Woodlands and also found that Woodlands had seen its fair share of shocking murders.
Stay safe in Singapore’s safest estates
Though many may leave their belongings unattended in restaurants or even the nearby McDonald’s, we can’t deny that Singapore does have its fair share of crimes.
With information derived from various news sites and data.gov.sg, we can determine that the safest estates in Singapore are mostly in the CBD or central area. So, with new BTOs popping up in places like Bishan, now may be your chance to snag a place at one of the safest estates in Singapore.
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