15 persons, aged between 20 and 74, will be charged in court from 9 to 10 June 2025 for their suspected involvement in separate cases of shop theft.
The details of some of the cases are as follows:
- On 7 May 2025, a 46-year-old-woman had allegedly stolen five grocery items, amounting to about $202, from the Cold Storage outlet located at Compass One. She was detained by a loss prevention officer from the outlet while attempting to leave without making payment, and arrested by Police officers who attended to the incident. The woman will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 23 March 2025, a 54-year-old man had allegedly stolen eight food items, amounting to about $80, from the Cold Storage outlet located at Great World City. He was detained by a loss prevention officer from the outlet while attempting to leave without making payment, and arrested by Police officers who attended to the incident. The man will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 24 January 2025, a 58-year-old man had allegedly stolen three audio earbuds, amounting to about $687, from the Challenger outlet located at Causeway Point. Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from CCTV footage, the Police managed to establish his identity. The man will be charged with one count of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 9 November 2024, a 62-year-old woman had allegedly stolen two boxes of flu tablets, amounting to about $31, from the Sheng Siong outlet located at Junction Nine. Through follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from CCTV footage, the Police managed to establish her identity. Further investigations revealed that she was also found to be involved in an earlier case of alleged shop theft at the same Sheng Siong outlet on 3 November 2024, where she had allegedly stolen two boxes of flu tablets, amounting to about $31. The woman will be charged with two counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 9 September 2024, a 32-year-old woman had allegedly stolen 11 clothing items, amounting to about $581, from the Zara outlet located at Vivo City. She was detained by a retail staff from the outlet while attempting to leave without making payment, and arrested by Police officers who attended to the incident. Further investigations revealed that she was involved in an earlier case of alleged shop theft at 100 AM mall. On the same day, she had allegedly stolen 40 items, amounting to about $881, from the MUJI outlet located at 100 AM mall. The woman will be charged with two counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 28 August 2024, a 74-year-old woman had allegedly stolen 27 food items, amounting to about $74, from the NTUC FairPrice outlet located at 399 Yung Sheng Road. She was detained at scene by a retail staff from the outlet while attempting to leave without making payment, and arrested by Police officers who attended to the incident. Further investigations revealed that she was also involved in two earlier cases of alleged shop theft at the same NTUC FairPrice outlet. On 1 August 2024 and 29 March 2024, she had allegedly stolen 27 food items amounting to about $103 and 48 food items amounting to about $212 respectively. The woman will be charged with three counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
- On 20 July 2024, a 34-year-old woman had allegedly stolen seven grocery items, amounting to about $60, from the Sheng Siong outlet located at 61 Teban Gardens Road. She was detained at scene by a retail staff from the outlet while attempting to leave without making payment, and arrested by Police officers who attended to the incident. Through further follow-up investigations and with the aid of images from CCTV footage, it was revealed that she was involved in four earlier cases of alleged shop theft at the same Sheng Siong outlet. Between 8 and 17 July 2024, she had allegedly stolen 16 grocery items amounting to about $200. The woman will be charged with five counts of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871.
The offence of theft in dwelling under Section 380 of the Penal Code 1871, carries an imprisonment term of up to seven years and a fine.
Seven out of the 15 persons charged were identified through CCTV footage provided by retailers. The remainder were detected by vigilant staff or loss prevention officers. Most retail outlets have CCTV systems installed. With more CCTV cameras installed within retail premises, retailers can easily review the footage and lodge police reports against shoplifters, even if they are not apprehended at scene during the commission of the offence. CCTV footage helps to identify offenders and they will face the full brunt of the law. The Police will continue to work closely with stakeholders and the community to prevent and deter shop theft cases.
During this mid-year school holidays period, the Police would like to remind retailers to be prepared for increased shopping activity and to remain vigilant against shop thieves, especially when large crowds are expected. Retailers are advised to adopt the following measures:
- Ensure a good line of sight for the displays by using an appropriate shop layout;
- Display advisory posters or signs against shop theft;
- Secure sale items or have them under surveillance by CCTV cameras, especially those places at extended areas;
- Do not leave items in the stall unattended after operating hours for stalls or bazaar;
- Display expensive merchandise in locked showcases or at prominent locations (e.g. near cashier counters);
- Install CCTVs with recording system at the entrance/exit of the store to capture the facial features of shoppers;
- Deploy adequate staff to patrol the premises to increase deterrence and engage customers as good service while ensuring retail safety;
- Implement crowd management measures to reduce opportunities for shop theft in high traffic areas;
- Be extra vigilant with seasonal high-value items such as gift hampers, festive goods, ensuring they are properly secured and monitored; and
- Remind staff to be particularly alert during peak shopping hours and to report any suspicious behaviours immediately.
Retailers are also strongly encouraged to join the Shop Theft Awareness for Retailers (STAR) programme. Under the STAR programme, the Police work closely with retailers to analyse the stores’ risk factors and vulnerabilities to shop theft, and jointly identify effective and practical crime prevention measures. Major retail chains like NTUC FairPrice, Sheng Siong, Watsons and Popular have joined the STAR programme, implementing various crime prevention strategies through this collaboration to strengthen their defence against shop theft. Retailers may contact their nearest Neighbourhood Police Centre to find out more about the programme.
SINGAPORE POLICE FORCE
08 June 2025 @ 10:00 AM