In todays paper the police have reassured Singaporeans, they will not tolerate this violence, and will implement the temporary provisions act if necessary, those that need to be charged for serious offences will be charged, those that need to be put under detention, will be put under detention. The act allows suspects to be detained without trial.
There was a scuffle at Rowell Rd to men in their 50's fighting one is seriously ill with 3 knife wounds. last night.
They also found 13 butchers knives in Bukit Pannjang attacks.
Singpore police, the older generation have said they will clamp down hard if need be. The Bukit Panjang attack was not a random attack, though the person they attacked may have been, but they had planned on going out to hurt people. The street corner gangs are not connected to secret societies, even though they shout their names in the attacks, they are wannabees.
Looks like they have everything under control even the prevention of this happening again, so well done Singapore.
The UK and other Countries with anti social behaviour could absolutely learn something here, the cane will and does work, and it appears the culprits are given sufficient warnings of what will happen if the don't change their ways.
Interviews with some gang members have said, that they also fear the leaders and cannot escape them, some mothers are selling up to get their kids away from the bad company, and it effects high grade students too, that have been dragged and pressured into joining the gangs.
Looks like rehab for many, with a chance to clean up and turn their life around, before the heavy hand does fall.
A young Indian 24 years old was also sentenced to hang, for the murder of his girlfriend, that wanted to break up with him in today's paper. 20 relatives broke down in tears.
When I consider my own life in this kind of environment, it was my parents that guided us, my father was a boxing trainer all his life, and he insisted we should not tolerate bullies, at 7 or 8 he wouldn't let me in the ring, just my older brother. fights in the street were often broke up by my father, and he would drag them off to the ring, to settle their differences.
It was always the Queensberry rules, though as one got grew up things changed in the mid 70's a new group of cowards, that attacked in gangs, I recall being on leave from the army and walking home from the pub, when a group of 7 started shouting at my brothers friend with threatening language, my older brother said ignore it.
I couldn't so I walked over to the group, and asked which one of you is the hardest here, do you want to fight, they actually became apologetic and made excuses they didn't mean anything by it.
After i explained to them that they are a group of 7 picking on one guy, now i am one guy picking on 7, I don't know if i will win, but i will fight all 7 if that's what you want, they must have thought i was a real lunatic, but they knew I was born on the estate and who I was and didn't want to mix it.
I mean there was some real head bangers in their teens and early 20's, that are just encouraged to do the most stupidest things, without really understanding the consequences, they are not smart kids, they are troubled kids, with family problems, single parents, and poverty, others from good homes are just in the environment and get dragged into it all.
I often go home and visit the estate, many still know me and are very polite, but those that don't know me act just like the wild gangs of today, they hunt in packs and beat up people just for a laughs, its an environment which is best forgotten in the eyes of the police, in stead of pulling down the whole area, the stigma of the housing estate still exists.
Though the government had planned it that way, to segregate all the criminals in one estate, as they were released from prison, this has happened in most Cities, so they could sell off all the council housing, they took the idea from Singapore actually, to give everyone the opportunity to own their own
property in the 70's Maggie Thatcher was at the helm.
It benefited really lots of people, though our estate was the unlucky one, that was rewarded with all the crap and no policing, it didn't go long before the whole estate was a no go area for police and outsiders. To reach these kids that are at risk, community services need to be actively involved, as most are troubled kids, that get no respect or family love, they are all in the same boat, disturbed social backgrounds, educational drop outs, petty criminals, and gangsters and its the gangsters that rule through fear.
There is an hierarchy and the top dog needs to fall, to allow any chance of escape its a vicious circle and one runs the risk of the top dog setting the group on those that want out. Always best to not get too involved.
The statistics her in Singapore show 278 arrests for rioting behaviour from Jan to June 2010 overall crime arrests was 2,086 and it has been climbing, so i guess now is the time, they will clamp down.