Malaysian theft victim claims Singapore police is no different from their counterparts in Malaysia

Singapore police refused to lodge a report of theft and pick-pocketing by a Malaysian visitor.
Roshan Thiran recounted how his handphone was stolen and his wife’s wallet pick-pocketed while they were in Vivo City shopping mall. But the police refused to allow the couple to lodge a report, insisting instead that theirs was a case of lost items, not theft.
Roshan said that he had to go to two different police stations, and mentioned the station in Bukit Merah as one of the two. Both stations however, asked his wife and him to go to other different stations to lodge their report.
His wife eventually spoke to an officer via video conferencing, but the officer said that it is a case of lost items and not a theft. The officer then suggested that the couple go to another station to lodge the report. By this time, the couple were frustrated and decided to report the theft in Malaysia, when they got back instead.
Roshan recounted another incident which indicated to him that Singapore police not wanting to register a report of theft may not be so unusual here.
“One of my colleagues, Joseph Tan, said it happened to his sister-in law while she was chatting and her handbag was taken. So, I guess it common for it to be tagged as “lost” and not theft,” he said.
Others commenting on his post said that they have had similar experiences with the Singapore police as well.
Roshan said that he wanted to share his experience because he “thought it is interesting how we (Malaysians) hold Singapore on a pedestal as the model of greatness, but there still is crime and there is still ASEAN type policing governing the country just like in Malaysia”.
Roshan said that he was not too worried about his belongings that were stolen. He told Malaysians that the grass may not be as green as they think on this side of the Causeway.
“No wonder crime rates are down in Singapore. Looks like some things are the same in both Malaysia and Singapore,” he remarked.