Oral Reply to Parliamentary Question on Number of Assaults Involving Migrant Workers at Dormitories in the Past Three Years

Question :

Mr Murali Pillai: To ask the Minister for Home Affairs in the past three years (a) how many incidents of assault involving migrant workers at dormitories have been reported to the Singapore Police Force; (b) of the number of incidents reported, how many have racial undertones; and (c) what proactive steps have been taken to reduce the risk of such incidents occurring.

Answer:

Ms Sun Xueling, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Social and Family Development:

1.   Mr Speaker, Sir. There were about 990 cases of assault involving migrant workers at dormitories reported to the Police from 2020 to 2022. These include cases of affray and rioting. A minority of the cases involve persons of different races. As far as we are aware, none were reported to be racially motivated.

2.   The Police work with the dormitory operators on safety and security issues. The operators are required as part of licensing conditions under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM), to put in place security arrangements, including closed circuit television systems and deployment of security officers. The Police also work with the operators to engage dormitory residents on crime prevention and safety and security matters.