You’ve probably seen some articles which give the impression that Yishun is full of strange happenings or even crime.
Some are plain cheeky, while others are for pure entertainment value. The latest issue of Nee Soon Link seeks to show you the truth using actual statistics:
Let’s look at the number for five preventable crimes – robbery, housebreaking, snatch theft, theft of motor vehicle and outrage of modesty – in 2016. Out of 36 neighbourhood police centres (NPCs), Yishun North is perfectly in the middle at number 18. Yishun South is near the bottom at number 29. Ths means Yishun is, in fact, one of the safer neighbourhoods in Singapore.
According to media reports, when Dr Leong Chan-Hoong, who is Social Lab Head and Senior Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore (NUS), looked at crime rates, he also found that Yishun does not have a higher-than-average crime rate. Among 28 neighbourhoods studied, it ranks 13th.
Crimes Halved in Recent Years
Now, what about the longer-term trend? Here is where most people miss the real story. Get this – the number of crimes recorded by Yishun North NPC has halved between 2010 and 2016.
The number of five preventable crimes decreased by 59% in this period – almost a two-third plunge.
Interestingly, Yishun North NPC only had one robbery and one snatch theft case in 2016.
In the same years, unlicensed moneylending and related harassment cases plunged by 55%.
Regarding a recent flawed blog post that argued a “high crime rate” in Yishun North, Nee Soon Town Council chairman and Nee Soon GRC MP Mr Louis Ng responded: “ That study did not account for different population sizes and lumps moneylending harassment together with other crimes. Therefore, their results might not reflect how safe residents feel in different towns.”
Mr Ng continued: “Yishun residents I’ve spoken to feel that our town is not unsafe. In fact, it’s a close-knit community that looks
out for each other. They also feel sad that online media is repeating this myth about Yishun. I hope Singaporeans look at both sides of the story and come to Yishun themselves to experience the warmth of our community.”
Assistant Professor Liew Khai Khiun, from Nanyang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, also pointed out to the Straits Times that Yishun’s reputation comes down to “public imagination.”
With all the facts on our side, it is clear that Yishun is simply a misunderstood neighbourhood. Yishun is safe, and the statistics speak for themselves. So, do come here for your nasi lemak!