Singapore: The number of home theft cases surged by about 25 per cent in the first half of 2026, even as Singapore’s overall physical crime situation remained stable. According to the Singapore police's midyear crime brief for 2026, there were 450 theft-in-dwelling cases at residential premises in the first six months of the year, which is 25.1% more than last year's 367 cases over the same period.
Theft-in-dwelling cases across all types of premises saw a 0.6 per cent increase, rising from 726 cases in the first half of 2025 to 730 during the same period this year. These cases accounted for about 7.1 per cent of all physical crime cases.
Police said that these cases typically took place in premises where belongings were left unsecured or unattended, creating opportunities for theft,” South China Morning Post reported.
The surge was largely driven by incidents at residential premises involving people who had access to, or were familiar with, the premises. The number of physical crime cases from January to June in Singapore saw a drop from 0.4% to 10,325 over the same period last year.
Police described the physical crime situation as “stable”, with robbery and snatch theft recording 12 and nine cases respectively. Molestation, shop theft and theft in dwellings were the top three crimes of concern identified.
Cases related to outrage of modesty (molestation) rose by 3.1 per cent to 762 in the first half of 2026, up from 739 a year earlier, making up around 7.4 per cent of the total number of physical crime cases. Notably, more than 50% of the cases involved offenders known to their victims.
Residential premises recorded 227 such cases, up from 172 a year earlier, while cases on the public transport network declined to 60 from 84. Cases at public entertainment outlets rose to 58 from 49. Outrage of modesty cases on public transport involving offenders unknown to the victims fell by 25.7 per cent, declining from 74 cases to 55.
Shop theft cases increased by 2.2 per cent, rising from 2,050 to 2,095 and accounting for about 20.4 per cent of all physical crime cases. Commonly stolen items included food and beverages, personal care products, alcoholic drinks, and apparel or accessories.
