Singapore police warn criminals not to take risks amid growing concern over shipboard theft

WHAT IS SINGAPORE’S POSITION?

Singapore has ratified and approved in its own legislation ICAO regulations relating to combating in-flight theft, aviation law experts said.

These are detailed in the Convention on Offenses and Certain Other Acts Committed on Board Aircraft, also known as the 1963 Tokyo Convention.

Alan Tan, a professor at the National University of Singapore School of Law, said however that the problem with the Tokyo Convention, even after a 2014 update, is that it was “never intended to deal with small-time criminals.” like thieves.”

“Its main objective is to deal with perpetrators who endanger the safety of the aircraft or the good order and discipline on board,” said Professor Tan.

“As such, it applies to more serious crimes such as unruly behavior, violence against fellow passengers or crew and, of course, illegal acts such as kidnapping.”

However, he said Singapore’s laws on theft would apply to Singapore-registered aircraft, such as those operated by Singapore airlines SIA, Scoot and Jetstar Asia, wherever they fly.

If the destination of the flight is Singapore, the perpetrator of the crime on board may be handed over to local authorities upon landing.

But if the theft occurs on a flight bound outside Singapore, it will depend on whether the receiving country is prepared to arrest and prosecute the offender, Professor Tan said.

“The main issue here is whether the destination country cares enough about the issue; many countries don’t with regard to minor crimes.”

There is also the possibility of foreign-registered aircraft flying into Singapore and whether local authorities will arrest and prosecute a thief for a crime that most likely occurred outside Singapore airspace.

Professor Tan said the Tokyo Convention Act states that Singapore’s Public Prosecutor must give consent to initiate the proceedings, so it is “at the discretion of the Attorney General’s Office”.

At least in one recent case there was a credit card thief on board AirAsia, registered in Malaysia, were charged, it said. “So, we have a precedent.”

The SPF told CNA that when the facts and circumstances justify a police investigation, the police will do so.

“The investigation generally includes receiving a report, conducting interviews and recording statements, gathering evidence and referring the case to the Attorney General’s Office for procedural action,” a spokesperson said.

Associate Professor Jae Woon Lee of the Faculty of Law at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, however, pointed out the difficulty of finding evidence when it comes to in-flight theft.

“Only when the crew directly witnesses the suspect taking something from another person’s possession, or when the victim of the theft witnesses the scene, do airlines inform police,” he said.

He added that common luggage space in the overhead compartments was a “big challenge and a unique factor” here.

“A thief can easily say, ‘I’m going through my belongings’ when suspected of stealing.”