Man leaves laptop unattended at Starbucks for an hour, but it doesn’t get stolen, says ‘S’pore has learned to eliminate crime’

“This country has one of the lowest crime rates in the world,” TikToker Uptin said in a video that has since gone viral.

He left his open laptop at a “random Starbucks” for an hour without asking anyone to keep an eye on it. And sure enough, when he returned from having lunch at a nearby mall, it was still there.

Uptin raved that “Singapore has pretty much learned how to eliminate crime,” having had “250 days in a row without common types of crime.”

@uptin

♬ original sound – Uptin

“That means nobody got their phone stolen for more than eight months in the whole country,” he added.

The TikToker named three reasons why the country has such “crazy low” crime rates.

“Number 1—honesty and fairness are a big part of the culture here.

Number 2—basic needs are met, so people don’t feel like they need to resort to crime. Its economy and government programs make it so most people here live pretty well. You will never see a homeless person.

Number 3—is surveillance. There are cameras everywhere that protect against crime, and the consequences of stealing are crazy high.”

The TikToker, Uptin Saiidi, is a multimedia Journalist for CNBC International, and is currently based in Hong Kong.

He also makes daily YouTube videos, TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook videos as well about tech, money, and cultures.

His video has racked up over 10 million views since it was posted on Sunday (Oct 23), as well as with over 7000 comments.

One netizen said it would be the same in the UAE, even if he left the laptop for the whole day.

In other places, however, the opposite can be expected.

      One popular comment came from a netizen who wrote, “‘Basic needs are met’, I think that’s the most important part.”

Another argued that the punishment aspect is important as well.

Others said that because of the video, they are even more interested in visiting Singapore. 

Another argued, however, that there are some homeless people in Singapore.

Locals said that his “social experiment” may not work in certain parts of Singapore.

/TISG

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