Organised crime in Singapore
Organised crime in Singapore has a long history with secret societies such as Ghee Hin Kongsi carrying out their activities in the 19th century.
[2] The mass immigration played a crucial role in the economic development during the colonial era by availing large population for labours.
Immigrants formed their own “community” based on the notion of brotherhood generally known as Hui, which loosely translates into a vast family or company.
When joining Hui, one had to cut their fingers with a knife, and the blood that dripped down would be added into rice wine, then it would be drunk as a sign of brotherhood.
[1] The formation of this secret society (Hui) played an important role to the immigrants from China during the early 19th century.
[1] The Hui were involved in a sourcing of unskilled native labourers as well as other profit making ventures such as pepper and gambier farming.
They started with simple acts of crime extortion, trafficking and opium dealings before expanding to bigger criminal ventures like running illegal gambling dens and brothels.
[1] Other secret societies involved in crime include the Hai San, a gang that rivalled the Ghee Hin group in competition for land houses and business opportunities.
Major legislative development in the colonial government led to the suppression of secret societies as law enforcement authorities thwarted the activities of organized crime.
This group drew its members from the Indians and Malays and made huge amounts of money through engaging in extortion and prostitution.
[5] A typical example can be traced back to 1990 where some teenagers in “pseudo street gangs” were obsessed with Salaku believing that such an affiliation was cool.
Private businesses have also registered losses as a result of cyber-attacks such as the Wannacry Ransomware in 2017 which compelled victims to send a ransom of particular amount to the criminals [8] Secret societies have been using online markets to sell illicit items such as drugs and weapons.
This has been made possible by the enactment of strict laws and legislation such as the ‘Societies Ordinance Act’ that spelled severe penalties for the offenders.
Among the strategies they employ in dealing with these gangs include surprise raids on their dens deterring any potential offenders.
Under this law, the public prosecutor is allowed to confiscate assets obtained from criminal activities before sentencing following an application from the High Court.
However, it was worth noting that the public prosecutor has the responsibility to prove that a suspect was involved in criminal activities before being granted permission for civil confiscation.
Organised crime prevention order grants permission to law enforcement authorities to monitor the activities of suspects including those not found guilty.
