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CRIME AND SAFETY |
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Singapore is a very safe place for travellers, though you shouldn't
become complacent - muggings have been known to occur and theft from
dormitories by other tourists is a common complaint.
Singapore is known locally as a " fine city ". There's a fine of S$500
for smoking in public places such as cinemas, trains, lifts, air-conditioned
restaurants and shopping malls, and one of S$50 for "jaywalking" -
crossing a main road within 50m of a pedestrian crossing or bridge.
Littering carries a S$1000 fine, with offenders forced to do litter-picking
duty, while eating or drinking on the MRT could cost you S$500. Other
fines include those for urinating in lifts (some lifts are supposedly
fitted with urine detectors), not flushing a public toilet and chewing
gum (which is outlawed in Singapore). It's worth bearing all these
offences in mind, since foreigners are not exempt from the various
Singaporean punishments - as American Michael Fay discovered in 1994,
when he was given four strokes of the cane for vandalism.
In Singapore, the possession of drugs - hard or soft - carries a hefty
prison sentence and trafficking is punishable by the death penalty. If
you are caught smuggling drugs into or out of the country, at the very
best you are facing a long stretch in a foreign prison; at worst, you
could be hanged.
Singapore's police , who wear dark blue, keep a fairly low profile, but
are polite and helpful when approached.
Emergency phone numbers
Police 999 (toll-free) Ambulance and Fire Brigade 995 (toll-free)
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