Singaporeans have been warned. CCTV cameras are going to be used to help prevent and reduce crime. For decades, the city-state has had a reputation of being a place where Big Brother watches your every move. Paranoid talk of phones being tapped and e-mail accounts being monitored have long done the rounds of chat rooms. And while some taxi drivers will cut across three lanes of traffic to pick me up, others have told me that they cannot do a U-turn or stop in an unauthorised zone for fear that a police officer will jump out of the shadows.
Yet, when I asked the police last year about the number of CCTV cameras on Orchard Road for a story I was working on, I was told that there were none. I was shocked. Surely, the main shopping strip, where millions of dollars of watches, clothes and jewellery are on display, would be under close surveillance? After all, it would be in London or Paris. This lack of cameras is a testament to our low crime rate.
That is not to say that there are no cameras. Remote monitoring began in 2003 in Boat Quay and Newton because of a sharp increase in 'rioting' - a term used in Singapore to cover rowdy, high-spirited behaviour rather than anything very violent. By the end of the month, eight cameras will go up in the Geylang area after residents repeatedly complained about illegal prostitution and fights. The police have already indicated that more areas will be targeted. Officers have moved quickly to reassure Singaporean men that they can visit prostitutes in legal brothels, in private, as the cameras are there to monitor crime, not their escapades. Yet it will be quite interesting to see whether 'business' starts falling in the district.
Meanwhile, laser cameras are being installed to cut down on speeding. But in its great magnanimity, the traffic police department has revealed for the first time where its officers and the camera are to be deployed.
Many public places are now increasingly under surveillance, like MRT platforms and public-housing lifts, and the government has also announced plans to fit every school with up to 12 cameras. Even private owners are installing them to 'spy' on their maids or 'protect' their property. And in a few instances, footage has been helpful in settling disputes between neighbours.
Although I understand that all these cameras are for my own safety, I keep wondering whether they are also a sign that Singapore is becoming less safe. Living here, it is all too easy to take security for granted. After all, the authorities' ever-watchful eyes and tuned-in ears helped thwart terrorists' plans not so long ago. But according to the latest data, petty crimes like opportunist theft rose last year. That is something to keep an eye on.