Caning in Singapore. Safety, law and crime in Singapore

It is well known that Singapore has one of the lowest crime rates in the world. Some people don't know why. The answer is simple: the penalties for even minor infractions in the city-state are severe.

• While crime rates in all other categories are declining in Singapore, cybercrime is increasing year on year.
• The main reason that crime rates in Singapore are generally very low is due to the harsh penalties that are meted out for crimes that may seem petty to people from other parts of the world.
• A highly debated topic around the world is the use of corporal punishment and the death penalty in Singapore - although they are not used as often nowadays, Singapore is still not opposed to these policies.

The Singapore government and its strong arm of the law, the Singapore Police Force, are steering a tight ship in terms of keeping the city and its residents safe and sound. The results are clear: crime in Singapore is very low and the country has a reputation for being one of the most safe places Worldwide.

Are you safe in Singapore?

As an expat, it is unlikely that you will witness much criminal activity, much less become a victim of crime. This does not mean that crime does not exist in Singapore, but it is certainly not the same problem as in other cities of similar size and international prominence.

Street crime is rare in Singapore, with theft, pickpocketing and purse snatching being the predominant forms. Most often, these crimes occur when the opportunity arises and someone leaves property unattended or in crowded places such as subways, markets, nightclubs and similar places.

Acts of violent and confrontational crime are few and far between in Singapore, and criminal activity involving firearms is rare. Pistols and other firearms are strictly controlled by the government and police, and the penalties for brandishing, let alone using, firearms are severe. Singapore also has a very noticeable absence of drug-related crime. Like firearms, drugs and other substances are also prohibited, and the use or distribution of drugs is punishable by severe penalties.

Offenses involving breaking and entering, burglary and other property crimes are becoming increasingly rare, with Singapore experiencing a 20.3% decline in these forms of crime from 2014 to 2015. The overall crime rate in Singapore increased by 4% between 2014 and 2015 due to cybercrime. While all other types of crime have dropped significantly, cybercrime is the most common and growing form of crime in Singapore, where e-commerce and online fraud are more common.

High fines or worse consequences for offenses in Singapore

From breaking the rules traffic up to more serious action— There is a tendency in Singapore to impose harsh punishments. Many emigrants from other parts globe won't think twice about things like littering, breaking traffic rules, eating on public transport or smoking in an open bus stop, but doing so can result in shockingly high fines - up to the latter case you may have to pay between 200 SGD and 1000 SGD.

There are, of course, many other examples. Singapore's chewing gum ban, which has attracted international attention, may seem like such a small move, but it has dire financial consequences. To take a more serious example, drink driving is not only punishable by a very heavy fine, but also jail time (as well as a penalty point system, which we explain in our article on driving). In general, the threshold for imposing prison sentences in Singapore is quite low.

Singapore's Shame: Corporal Punishment and the Death Penalty

Singapore is considered infamous throughout the world for its use of both corporal and capital punishment. Singapore has one of the most strictly enforced criminal codes with some of the most severe punishments, so it is not surprising that they are often used Physical punishment and the death penalty, and not only for the most serious crimes.

Cases of vandalism (for example, graffiti) are punishable by corporal punishment - regular form Such penalties in Singapore are reserved for male offenders under 50 years of age. A flexible cane, 1.2 meters long and 1.2 centimeters in diameter, is used to administer punishment consisting of 24 blows to the offender's bare buttocks.

There are more than 30 in Singapore various forms crimes that may result in bullying, including drug abuse, weapons possession, kidnapping, robbery, sexual assault, rioting, visa overstay of more than 90 days and the aforementioned vandalism. Although the number of convictions reached its zenith in 2007 with more than 6,400 convictions, it remains high at approximately 2,000 convictions per year.

In the 1990s, the number of syndicated death sentences in Singapore was also very high, while the country was one of the countries with the highest death sentence rates per capita. The death penalty is used much less frequently these days, and although Singapore is still far from abolitionist, only one execution was recorded in 2015.

Murder, illegal trafficking drugs, export of firearms, sedition and treason are some of the forms of crime in Singapore that are punishable by death. Several foreigners were also sentenced to death, most of whom were convicted of drug offences.

In case of emergency

The Singapore Police Force is known for its prompt and professional response to emergency calls and crime reports. Service number emergency assistance Singapore police number is 999. If you are a victim of a crime in Singapore, such as pickpocketing, you can also file a report at your local police center and even online.

If you have a medical emergency, the ambulance number is 995. This is also the number to dial if you need to reach the fire station. While response times may vary depending on your location on the island, you can expect fairly prompt medical attention.

If you need an ambulance but are not in an emergency, dial 1777 - general " hotline» for 18 private emergency services medical care Singapore. A full list of ambulance service providers and their fees can be found on the Force website civil defense Singapore. Keep in mind that there is a charge for calling an ambulance: expect to pay between SGD 35 and SGD 600 per call.

The government's Emergency 101 initiative offers a printed overview of all important emergency numbers, so make sure you have the right numbers for any emergency.

We do our best to keep this article up to date. However, we cannot guarantee that the information provided is always current or complete.

It is so small geographically and so large economically that we had to examine its cruel laws under a magnifying glass and its hanging gardens through a telescope.

On August 9, 2015, Singapore turned 50 years old. Lee Kuan Yew, the first prime minister of the republic, who in 1965 received control of a colonial port on a small island, which played the role of a transshipment base on the way from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, did not live to see this anniversary for some six months. On the swampy islands there was no natural resources, there and drinking water downloaded from neighboring Malaysia. The population - predominantly those who came to work, spoke different languages ​​and worshiped different gods of shantrap from the countries South-East Asia and India, British officials and Chinese traders, through whose hands everything went, including opium.

It was the elastic economic muscle of the Chinese community that served as the unspoken reason for Singapore's withdrawal from the Federation of Malaya in August 1965. Lee Kuan Yew predicted that in a state of relaxed Malays they would vigorously milk the enterprising Chinese good reason that they have money. Announcing the withdrawal from the federation to Singaporeans, Mr Yu shed a tear. After that, no one ever saw him weak again. And ten years later, American diplomat Vernon Walters remarked: “Thank God that Lee Kuan Yew rules a small state! Otherwise, Brezhnev and Nixon would have to seek sympathy in each other’s arms.”

Unconventional approach

The far-sighted prime minister of a tiny city-state came up with tricky way survival. Firstly, this leader of independent Singapore, instead of expelling the troops of its previous owner, Great Britain, from the country, asked the damned imperialist invaders to stay here longer. Independence is independence, but sitting between Malaysia and Indonesia without the protection of a British bayonet is still extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, the British military bases not only provided guarantees against external threats, but were also a reliable help in case of riots. And as a huge bonus, one could consider that these bases also provided work for more than 20% of Singaporeans. Secondly, in addition to the imperialists, Lee Kuan Yew had great respect for the capitalists. He opened the doors of Singapore to large international businesses - European and American. Opened wide: duty-free import of goods, transparent minimum taxes and dozens of other economic goodies have long made Singapore one of the five most investment-attractive countries in the world.

Did Lee Kuan Yew turn Singapore into an economic freewheeler because he was a liberal by conviction? Correct answer: no, it was not. And it’s not a fact that he liked it all. But he liked being the master of Singapore, and he correctly calculated that for the interests of their companies the Western world would fight anyone who encroached on existing order local affairs. In fact, Singapore became the heart of Asian trade, a small heir to the Great Silk Road. It was the main free economic zone region, and golden rain fell on the country (in in a good way words). A country the size of a cat, ruled by the word of one man, could afford such flexibility, such initiative, such savings of funds that its sedentary but populous neighbors were not capable of. There was no place for large-scale production in Singapore, so high-tech (electronics, biopharmaceuticals) and Financial services. By the end of the 1980s, over $500 billion of investment flowed into Singapore, and new industries were introduced there: oil refining (in compliance with the highest environmental standards) and mass tourism. Today, 73% of the country's GDP comes from the service sector, and 27% from industry. Thus, Singaporean society has successfully stepped “from the third world to the first” - that is, by the way, the title of the second volume of Lee Kuan Yew’s memoirs “The Singapore Story”.

Mafia is mortal

Protests and strikes are rare, and homosexuality and communism are banned

One of Lee Kuan Yew's first exploits was the total and immediate destruction of corruption. The ruler knew very well that corrupt officials usually steal thousands and spoil millions, that serious Western corporations would not fully join the market, where bribery, nepotism and lawlessness reign. And he, having enlisted the support of the British army, began to accomplish a great task - to cut off the heads of the thousand-year-old hydra of Asian traditions. The police were shaken up, almost all the judges were fired (they were replaced mainly famous lawyers, that is, that part of the lawyers who are always less entangled than others in corruption ties and schemes). The laws were formulated clearly and simply, and punishment for breaking them became swift and inevitable. Even Lee Kuan Yew’s closest friends and relatives went to prison, but they did not immediately get their bearings in the new order. In a matter of weeks, the Singapore branches of triads - Chinese criminal groups - were eliminated. Ministers, judges, police chiefs and other high-ranking officials were officially given such high salaries that the best brains flowed from the private sector to the government, who did not waste time building bribery schemes. And today, according to Transparency International, the country is one of the ten countries with the lowest level of corruption. Transparent and effective legislation helped foreign companies do not be afraid of “squeezes” and expropriations.

Education of the people

What else did Western companies coming to Singapore need? Good specialists within walking distance, order and cleanliness on the streets, total stability. The last two points were dealt with simply. Draconian rules on the cleanliness of public places were introduced, and hundreds of thousands of bushes and trees were purchased and planted. Then the far-sighted prime minister began to tighten the reins government regulation. Political stability and social order have become important components of the Singaporean recipe. In the 1960s, there were serious tensions between the Chinese majority and the Malay and Indian minorities. Since then, interethnic harmony has been maintained by harsh punishments for inciting hatred. Ignoring accusations of “enlightened authoritarianism,” the tough prime minister periodically tightened the screws, as a result of which protests and strikes became extremely rare, and homosexual love and communism were completely banned. Residents of Singapore are very, very careful in their statements on the Internet, dozens of different topics, starting with criticism of the government and ending with overly expressive language on any occasion at all.

The problem of traffic jams, traditional for Asian cities, was dealt with just as harshly. Created here exclusively efficient system public transport (Mass Rapid Transit). But to have private car, you need to buy a special license for this. Licenses are sold at auctions for amounts exceeding the cost of the car itself. As a result, on a modest 700 sq. km (19% of which, by the way, Singapore has washed from the ocean over the past 49 years) of this island state There is practically no congestion. The number of certificates is directly proportional to the kilometers of roads built over the past year. The savvy reader, of course, has already guessed that the money raised at these auctions goes to support Singaporean public transport. And many Singaporeans also like to drive “Draculas” - that’s what they call cars in Singapore, the right to own which allows you to use them only from dusk to dawn and on weekends and costs a third less.

Although from the outside Singapore may seem boringly stable and safe, the People's Action Party government, which has had a stranglehold on power for 50 years, behaves as if enemies are rattling weapons outside the country, and a “fifth column” is raising its head inside. Participation of the population in elections is mandatory and often funny. Those living in the Tanjong Pagar constituency in which Mr Yu himself stood were automatically counted as having voted for him; At the same time, the media is toothless, and reliable English laws about libel with a threat of bankruptcy if the case goes to court. And although relations with Malaysia and Indonesia are no longer as tense as they once were, young people are required to serve in the army, which is modeled on the Israeli model, and a fifth of the budget is spent on defense. One of catch phrases Lee Kuan Yew: “We decide what is right and what is wrong. We don’t care what people think.”

When the law is fierce

As a result, today there are a couple of hundred thefts per year per 5 million population. There is not a candy wrapper on the streets. About monstrous fines for spitting out chewing gum, spitting and smoking in in public places everyone has heard. Unlike the rest of Southeast Asia, you can safely drink tap water here. And sex is also safe: prostitution is compactly limited to a couple of blocks in the Geylang district, and the ladies who practice it are registered and regularly undergo medical examinations. The elevators are equipped with urine odor detectors, which, in the event of someone's momentary weakness, will lock the doors, imprisoning the culprit, and send a signal to the police.

In the editorials important news: Law enforcement officials finally managed to figure out from which apartment in a huge high-rise building cigarette butts had been flying down for several months. The culprit received a fine of 19,800 Singapore dollars and forced labor for garbage collection in order to brand the offender with disgrace. You will be fined $500 for not flushing a public toilet, and $5000 for hacking a private Wi-Fi. According to the World Bank, the republic ranks eighth in terms of GDP per capita, but graffiti, vandalism and racial slurs are punished with bamboo rods. As well as for criticizing the government, which amounts to a violation of public order. The warning that anyone found in possession of more than 15 grams of heroin or 200 grams of cannabis will face death is encountered as soon as they exit the plane - Singapore leads in the number of death sentences carried out per capita. Another famous quote from Lee Kuan Yew: “If people don’t fear me, I’m meaningless.”

Creation of Man

But we had to tinker with the first point of the program mentioned above, and here great successes have not yet been achieved. Lee Kuan Yew believed that the most an important part The population consists of well-educated representatives of the middle class. When people have something to lose and a head on their shoulders, they will be safer than any other social group. There was virtually no middle class in Singapore in the 1960s, and it took about half a century to carefully nurture it.

In 1965, out of a population of 1.9 million, 300 thousand people were squatters and another 250 thousand huddled in the central regions of 18 people under one roof. Then the government came up with the idea of ​​building on a large scale and providing ownership of inexpensive state apartments, based on the fact that once Singaporeans, especially former immigrants, become property owners, they will be more concerned about the order and cleanliness of the place in which they live. And besides, they will receive a humbling cargo in the form real estate and deep gratitude to our native government. And it worked! Today, 85% of residents live in purchased apartments state fund and are happy that their property has risen in price tenfold on the secondary market. Insisted on square meters Patriotic and nationalist sentiments soar over Singapore today, higher than the Air Force fighter jets flying overhead on Independence Day.

Singapore is not what you would call a nanny state. There is zero tolerance for dysfunctional elements looking for an opportunity to sit on the neck of the state. The familiar principle “He who does not work, neither shall he eat” has been elevated to a state philosophy. Therefore, there is practically no unemployment in the country; being unemployed is socially unacceptable for a Singaporean. And considering that Singapore has one of the best educational systems in Asia, it’s shameful. To ensure that university education is widely accessible, every Singaporean between 6 and 16 years old has what is called an “education savings account”, which is funded by both parents and the government. At the same time, the country sends especially promising people to gain intelligence in the world’s most prestigious scientific and training centers. This often awakens creative freedom in them, because the Singaporean educational model, which has adopted many Confucian precepts from school to universities, is purely pragmatic and emphasizes “physics”, leaving little room for “lyricists”. Strict adherence to a set of rules is of paramount importance, and independent natures get it from both teachers and parents.

Nevertheless average level intellectual and creativity Singaporeans, unfortunately, are still far behind the world's best indicators. It’s not us who are dealing with racism, that’s what Lee Kuan Yew said. At the end of the 80s of the last century, he decided to correct another ancient eastern tradition- the belief that a wife should be stupider than her husband. Lee Kuan Yew made passionate speeches about the need to marry women with higher education, and you, dear bastard fellow citizens, turn up your noses at smart ladies, you prefer to marry chubby-cheeked, unreasonable youngsters, and so the gene pool suffers. These speeches, by the way, offended even all-agreeable Singaporeans, and the People's Action Party paid with votes next elections. However, this did not stop the father of the nation. Something like a state marriage agency in Singapore was created - the Social Development Division, which, however, dealt not so much with marriages, but with the supervision of demography in general. For example, it obliged the Resettlement and Development Administration not to sell government-built apartments to single people until 1991, because the government advocated for an increase in the number of marriages and an increase in the birth rate.

Time for a change

The careful nurturing of the middle class took half a century under prohibition.

Like many outstanding phenomena, Singapore cannot be measured by a single yardstick. On the one hand, its experience is looked at with interest by countries eager to modernize within the framework of their own cultural values, and on the other, critics of Singapore call it “Pyongyang with high-speed Internet.” As soon as Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Lee Kuan Yew, took the helm in 2011, the world liberal community began to boil with indignation: they say, look how the highest administration of Singapore itself turned out to be subject to clannishness and nepotism. And this is despite the long ministerial career of Lee Hsien Loong and the fact that the state apparatus under him remains as lean, efficient and, as before, capable of calculating problematic situations before they become a crisis. By the way, when the USSR was respected, father Yu forced his son to learn Russian and later worried that premature glasnost undermined the country, while it was necessary to start with the economy. Unlike North Korea, and many democratic countries that stumble quite a lot on their way, the Singaporean phenomenon would seem to successfully challenge liberal ideas that unlimited freedom is an indispensable condition for prosperity. The overwhelming majority of the population supports the new leader and agrees to tolerate restrictions on personal freedoms for the sake of stability and well-being of the state. Big business still prefers not to interfere in politics in a country where financial success is considered one of the main manifestations of patriotism.

But when assessing the success of Singapore, it is important to understand: most of the companies operating successfully in the country came here from completely different living conditions. Actually, there is practically no innovation on the ground here; everything, from technology to working methods, is not born here, but in those corners of the planet where freedom of thought and activity is still a top priority. And looking back to Singapore as a perfect example of the usefulness of the whip makes as much sense as sticking a Mercedes badge on a homemade scooter - in the sincere belief that these details - badges, fines and public floggings - are the main driving force of the design.

However, Singaporeans have come a long way from their post-colonial ancestors. They are 12 times richer, much more educated and very aware of what is happening in the world. They are already beginning to snap (for now on social networks) at the restrictive measures that their grandparents dutifully endured for the good of the idea. And the further, the louder the voices of critics: in the last elections in 2011, the share of votes of the permanently ruling People's Action Party decreased by 6.5%. Those elections showed that it is important to listen to the people and that a paternalistic management style no longer works. The Singapore government is trying to move from lectures to dialogue with citizens within the framework of new program Our Singapore Conversation, giving them the opportunity to speak out on sensitive issues and develop civic and democratic views that were not previously encouraged. Thus, the People's Action Party overcame the rejection social programs in support of the poor and elderly and began to respond to anti-immigration sentiment among Singaporeans not with a fist, but with explanations. Of course, Lee Kuan Yew would have resolved the issue differently. But the architect of Singapore's “economic miracle” is no longer there, and times are changing.

Security in Singapore

Crime rate in Ukraine

Last updated: September, 2014

This data is based on the perceptions of visitors to this site over a 3-year period.

If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, then it means it is perceived as very high.

Our data for each country is based on all records from all cities in that country.

Of course, Singapore is one of the safest (2nd place in the world after Luxembourg) both for its citizens and for foreign tourists and states. According to international ratings, Singapore is one of the least corrupt countries in the world, which is the merit of the first Prime Minister independent state Republic of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew.

Although general level crime is very low even in the most remote corners of the country (city), and the Singapore police work at the highest level, there is no need to lose vigilance. Sometimes there are minor thefts (mostly pickpocketing), cases of fraud, and very rarely, but robberies do occur. Moreover, these crimes occur most often in places where people, and especially tourists, gather, and not in Singapore’s “gateways.” You can safely walk anywhere and at any time of the day without fear.

You can safely leave your money and documents in the hotel safe. You do not need a passport to walk around the city, except that it would be useful to have a photocopy of your passport with you.

But you shouldn’t relax, especially for Russian tourists spoiled by national permissiveness. U highest security There is another side to Singapore that may seem negative to some - extremely strict laws, including the death penalty. And despite all this, the law in Singapore is truly inevitable, and it is impossible to avoid punishment by “agreeing”. This is the first safety rule.

Locals They joke that Singapore is a city (state) of fines and prohibitions. It was only in 2007 that anal and oral sex were declared legal (previously they were illegal), but homosexual intercourse is still prohibited. And among the punishments, in addition to fines and imprisonment, flogging is successfully used.

Security and fines

Safety

The crime rate in Singapore is so low that the government is forced to advertising campaigns, reminding citizens and tourists of the need own safety. Posters “Low crime doesn’t mean no crime” (“ Low level crime does not mean its absence") can be seen quite often in Singapore.

Serious crimes are rare in Singapore and are dominated by petty crimes such as theft and counterfeiting credit cards. The Singaporean authorities recommend caution, but we must admit: Singapore is a country where you can leave a wallet with money and an expensive camera in a visible place, and return an hour later to find them in the same place.

Violations and fines

Singaporeans often say: “Singapore is a “fine” city.” This is a half-joking statement based on double meaning the words fine (“good” and “fine”) remind us: yes, Singapore is a good city, but it is a city of fines. High levels of safety, culture and cleanliness are ensured not only by the forces of persuasion and propaganda - for every violation you have to pay, and pay quite dearly.

Singapore fines should not be taken lightly - unlike in Russia, the severity of the laws is not compensated by the non-binding nature of execution. There are many police officers in the city, both in uniform and in plain clothes, who will fine you for the slightest violation of the law. Do not even hint at a bribe - this will lead to imprisonment and a fine of up to one hundred thousand dollars.
Here is a list of violations that are best avoided in Singapore:

1. Littering on the streets in Singapore is expensive. If a police officer catches you throwing a piece of paper or a cigarette butt on the ground, the fine will range from $300 to $1,000. When repeat violation The fine could increase to $2,000.

2. The fine for jaywalking is $500.

3. Since 1992, the import and use of chewing gum has been prohibited in Singapore. Of course, no one searches every visitor or catches people chewing on the streets - it’s more likely to get caught for a “garbage” fine by spitting out gum. However, remember that the law prohibits importing and chewing gum. The fine for violation is S$500.

4. Smoking in in the wrong places, such as the subway, elevators, public places (for example, transport stops) - from 500 to 1000 dollars. Smoking is allowed on open places and in designated areas in restaurants and premises.

The death penalty

Singapore allows and applies the death penalty for drug offenses. Possession, use and transportation of drugs in any quantity is prohibited in Singapore - penalties can include compulsory treatment, imprisonment and death.

Singaporean legislation is structured in such a way that in relation to drugs there is a presumption of guilt; That's why best advice When visiting Singapore, don't even bother with drugs.

I'm talking to a local businessman Chang sitting in an outdoor diner. Commenting on the situation in Singapore, Chang smokes one cigarette after another, carefully storing the cigarette butts in an iron box he took with him from the office. After the end of the conversation, the businessman heads to the nearest trash can - about a hundred meters away - and throws the bulls out there. (The fine for littering in a public place is 500 local dollars.(21.5 thousand rubles). - Author), - says Chang. - You know, since childhood I just developed a reflex: you can’t throw a candy wrapper on the pavement, you’ll be fined instantly. And now there are video cameras everywhere.” Indeed, the sidewalks of Singapore in the city center are as clean as in a museum. Chang says: Three months ago, his neighbor's 18-year-old son spray-painted graffiti on the wall of an old colonial building. The court found the guy guilty of vandalism and sentenced him to flogging . "What?!" - "Imagine. He received ten blows to the buttocks with a wooden stick and spent a week in prison. In general, corporal punishment is not uncommon in our country.”

How do they combine in Singapore? highest level life and incredibly harsh laws, the AiF columnist understood on the spot.

Don't sing or feed

“No one here is thinking about abolishing the death penalty,- explains lawyer Victor Lee Hong. “And the government has long been indifferent to the opinions of both the European Union and the United States on this matter. If a person smuggles a large amount of drugs or sells them, he is entitled to the gallows. In 2002, a 22-year-old Australian citizen was detained at Changi Airport: he was carrying 400 g of cocaine. The Australian Prime Minister, threatening sanctions, international human rights activists and even the Pope came out in his defense. However, the guy was eventually hanged anyway. After this, drug couriers carefully avoid our country. The point is this: in Singapore it is assumed that EVERYONE is required to comply with the laws, and not just modest and poor people. It doesn’t matter who you are - a millionaire, deputy prime minister, famous artist or resident of the European Union. There is only one option in this case: if they find half a kilo of cocaine on you, you will be hanged.”

When you walk around Singapore and everywhere you see signs with a bunch of warnings, you are simply amazed at how many prohibitions there are in this city-state! For example, chewing gum is sold only in pharmacies, and you can buy it strictly according to a doctor’s prescription (!). Upon arrival, a tourist will not be deprived of his chewing gum, but if he sticks gum on the subway, he will be slapped with a fine of 1 thousand local dollars (43 thousand rubles). Over the course of four days, I met two people with white signs around their necks: “I littered.” For throwing a cigarette butt past a trash can, in addition to a fine, people are often sentenced to “exile to the janitors”: to clean up parks and beaches for a week. 6 thousand rubles. the “criminal” pays because he forgot to flush the water in a public toilet, and when he tries to relieve himself in the elevator of a residential building, a special detector is triggered - the doors are blocked and a signal is sent to the police. Among the most exotic laws are bans on feeding pigeons on the street, public performance songs and even excessive watering of a houseplant (!): it is believed that an abundance of water attracts mosquitoes. To avoid fires, smokers are not allowed to bring lighters into the subway, otherwise they will be fined 5 thousand Singapore dollars (215 thousand rubles!). In general, the thought appears: no matter how hard you try, you will definitely break something.

Will be whipped and fined

"That's not true at all,- trying to dissuade me Muhammad Kabir-Kajaria, owner of a local travel agency.- Particularly fantastic laws exist only on paper, and over the past twenty years I have not seen anyone prosecuted for violating them. Why are they saved? So that citizens do not relax. Compliance with the basic rules is strictly monitored. For example, if a minor is sold cigarettes at a kiosk, then everyone will be punished along the chain: the owner of the store will pay a huge amount, the offender himself will receive blows with sticks on the “backside,” and the seller will also be flogged and sent to prison. It is thanks to such harsh laws that offenses are very rare in Singapore. Is this justified? Back in the seventies, there was chaos on our roads - motorists ignored traffic lights, drove as they wanted, and got behind the wheel drunk. After the introduction of fines, everything calmed down within a year. Now the driver, having drunk a portion of whiskey, knows: if he is stopped, the policeman will not let him go for a bribe, he will be fined in the amount of the cost of the apartment and will be sent to jail for years.”

Scary cleanliness

To many foreigners, the city-state in Southeast Asia seems like a kind of concentration camp. In 1993, American writer William Gibson called Singapore “Disneyland with the death penalty” - the guest from the United States was horrified by the general wealth of the inhabitants, the “frighteningly clean airport” and “cultivated nature.” They say that such things are unnatural, look artificial, and in principle this should not be the case. It’s your first few days in Singapore and you’re truly afraid to throw a piece of paper on the sidewalk; you realize it if you entered the subway with ice cream. But then you arrive in the “Little India” area, and suddenly there is a “break in the pattern”: plastic cups are lying around the bus stop. "How is it?" - you are surprised. “And so,” the Singaporeans grin. - Anything can happen. Not every such “crime” will be caught on the spot, but you should know: if you are found out, you will not get away with it - after all, you have broken the law. Most often, this is enough for a person to behave normally.”

Of course, the government in Singapore is quite authoritarian. But you know what? In Vietnamese Ho Chi Minh City, I moved very carefully - motorcyclists often snatch smartphones and cameras from the hands of tourists. The center of Paris is full of dirty homeless people and beggars. On our streets, too, not everyone tries to throw garbage into trash cans. Singapore, thanks to a set of draconian fines and ruthless (including the death penalty) laws, has become the calmest, cleanest and safest city on Earth. Think about it.

This is human nature: Remember, in Russia no one wore a seat belt while driving until they started fining them. Although the main thing in Singapore is not fines, but voluntary compliance laws. And one must think that here in Russia, people would also be happy about clean streets, the absence of garbage in the metro, and would welcome the arrest of those who confuse an elevator with a public toilet. Here is corporal punishment - no thanks, no need. Otherwise, the laws of Singapore are at least worth taking a closer look at.

The stunning success of Singapore's economy is based on just two principles:
firstly, the ease of opening and running a business;
secondly, strict compliance with laws and complete absence corruption.
It's amazing that following such seemingly truisms can create real economic miracle. So what are Singapore's “terrible” laws?
Singapore is a country with authoritarian rule. After the author of the “Singapore miracle,” Lee Kuan Yew, resigned in 1990, he “transferred” his post of prime minister to his son (Lee Kuan Yew’s authority is so high that parliament unanimously voted for a successor). After leaving his post, Li Kuan was officially considered a mentor-consultant to the Prime Minister.
Well, Singapore is a country with strict authoritarian rule. The press and other media are completely censored. Topics of politics and sex are strictly prohibited. For theft, violence, drugs, bribes - the death penalty, and by hanging. For minor crimes - public corporal punishment (whip), prison sentences and huge fines. It should be noted that tourists and citizens of others are no exception and are punished to the fullest extent of the law.
Minor offenses in Singapore are also punished harshly: for littering on the street (and this concept includes ordinary spitting, spitting out chewing gum, and throwing a cigarette butt) - a fine of 500 Singapore dollars ($375). People who systematically litter are sentenced to public works for street cleaning. At the same time, they must wear a sign that says “I littered.” For smoking in a public place, the fine is more - 1,000 Singapore dollars. And if you watered flowers in polka dots and left the water in the saucer, be so kind as to shell out the same $500, because moisture promotes the proliferation of insects, and this is bad.
The everyday life of Singaporeans is also strictly regulated. Men must wear trousers only in public places; no shorts are allowed. For women, skirts and tights are required, regardless of the weather.
Birth control has not been overlooked in Singapore either. It is strongly recommended to have two children in a family. And to the poor in exchange for monetary compensation offer to undergo sterilization.
In order to buy a car, a Singaporean must first pay special permission per car. The cost of such a permit can be several tens of thousands of dollars, its validity is 10 years. But that is not all. The car itself (Singapore does not have its own car production, so all cars are imported) is subject to an import duty of 41% of the cost. And registering it costs fantastic money - 140% of its price. Thus, Singapore limits the number of vehicles on the streets and fights traffic jams.
But in Singapore taxis are very inexpensive and work well public transport. Therefore, you can get to anywhere in the city without having your own car.
To summarize, we can say this: Singapore is an authoritarian country, but it is a country with respect for its citizens, with an excellent healthcare and education system. In all international rankings, Singapore is recognized as one of the least corrupt states in the world. This is one of the most bright examples when the maximum transfer of means of production into private hands, maximum freedom business, low taxes, weak government regulation and minimal amount bureaucracy leads to excellent results.

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