Stiffer measures to deal with youth gangs Thu, Nov 17, 2011 | my paper By Joy Fang The youth gang-related fights which occurred last year were "isolated" incidents and "did not in any way reflect a worsening crime situation", Minister of State for Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs Masagos Zulkifli said yesterday. He was referring to two gang-related cases that occurred last November at Downtown East and Bukit Panjang, in which youth were attacked with knives and choppers. A 19- year-old teenager died and several were injured. The incidents were serious, but "we should not over-react nor be seized by moral panic and rush into extremes", he said, but added that "we cannot be too soft". "We cannot just explain away these incidents as youth misadventures", otherwise the youth will be lured into groups associated with organised crime, he said. Youth arrests remain stable at about 4,000 a year and accounting for 22 per cent of total arrests, he said. About 40 to 45 per cent of all rioting cases involve youth. The Straits Times reported in February that the number of youth arrested for rioting rose to 531 last year, from 468 in 2009. Mr Masagos was speaking at the International Crime Prevention Conference, where he unveiled recommendations by an inter-ministry working group formed last year to look into youth-gang issues. He serves as the group's chairman. The recommendations, to be implemented next year, include enhancements to a voluntary community-based initiative called the StreetWise Programme. Youth arrested for gang-related activities must attend the programme, which requires them to report to the police and closely monitors their school or work attendance. They are also subject to curfews and restrictions on the places they can visit. Those who complete the six- month programme may be let off with a warning in lieu of prosecution. The first run of the programme will begin in the first half of next year. The goal is to prevent the youth from staying in gangs and becoming hardened criminals, and to give them a second chance in life, said Mr Masagos. Gang legislation will also be enhanced by the end of next year. The Ministry of Home Affairs will work with the Attorney-General's Chambers to criminalise gang membership and work out a specific definition for "gangs". Mr Masagos said current laws may be inappropriate for the youth. For example, the Criminal Law (Temporary Provisions) Act is mainly meant to deal with gang membership in hardcore triads, while the Societies Act is used against those associated with unregistered societies. Youth-gang recruiters will face stiffer penalties, which could mean higher fines or a longer jail sentence. Under the current Societies Act, those who incite a person to become a member of an unlawful society are liable to a fine not exceeding $5,000, a jail term not exceeding three years, or both. Mr Masagos said parental support is key to ensuring that youth remain on the right path. "It is through families that sound and good values are transmitted and instilled in our youth. Families must continue to be our first line of defence," he said. Steps to be taken next year The StreetWise Programme will be mandatory for youth arrested for gang-related offences. They will be subject to curfews and required to report physically to the police. If they complete the six-month programme, the youth may be let off with a warning in lieu of prosecution. More licensing conditions, such as tighter age restrictions and installation of CCTVs, will be imposed on operators of public entertainment places like computer-gaming centres. Tougher penalties for people who recruit youth into gangs will be introduced. Anti-gang legisla- tion will define what a "gang" means. Newcomers to the Singapore Boys' Home - which rehabilitates youth offenders - will be segre- gated based on how much they are at risk of gang affiliation. Police will form a new Youth Offenders Unit to formulate protocol for dealing with youth offenders.