The number of armed robberies in the Singapore Strait has hit a new five-year high, doubling the numbers from 2019.
From January to June this year, there were 16 incidents compared to 8 last year.
In a virtual briefing by the Information Sharing Centre on the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy ad Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCaap), executive director Mr Masafumi Kuroki said that they were concerned with the doubling of incidents, although most were at a “low severity level”.
He added that: “Small crimes, if not addressed, can embolden criminals to commit more serious acts.”
A huge majority of the incidents happened in the hours of darkness, mostly involving bulk carriers.
“Small crimes, if not addressed, can embolden criminals to commit more serious acts,” he said.
Mr Kuroki also added that the increase in piracy started last year, so there probably wasn’t any correlation to the Covid-19 pandemic.