Caning for scams and scam-related offences among proposed changes to Criminal Law Bill
Amendments to the Criminal Law Bill has been proposed to further rationalise Singapore's criminal laws, better protect vulnerable victims, and tackle emerging crime trends. Among the key amendments to the Bill introduced in Parliament on Tuesday (Oct 14) is the introduction of caning for scams and scam-related offences. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said in a statement that judicial caning serves the function of deterrence and proportionate punishment. «There are currently 161 offences that attract caning: 96 attract discretionary caning, while 65 attract mandatory caning.»Fighting scams continues to be a top national priority. The number of scam cases and scam losses remain concerning. MHA will introduce caning for scams and scams-related offences for stronger deterrence," added the ministry. Earlier on March 4, former MP Dr Tan Wu Meng had called for mandatory caning for scammers in egregious cases.