On 9 March 2026 in Geylang, a 70-year-old man was brutally stabbed. A bystander, hiding behind a wall, secretly filmed the terrifying scene. In the footage, the attacker, a 48-year-old man, moves with chilling calm. He raises the knife and drives it into the older man again and again: the chest, the stomach, the legs. The victim just lay on the floor as the stabbing continued.

Singapore is still one of the safest countries in the world. But if you read the news closely, you will notice something unsettling: knife attacks and violent assaults are appearing more often in the headlines.

Geylang has seen its fair share of incidents.

𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬, 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐝𝐲.

In 2020, a man died after being stabbed during a dispute in the Geylang area.

In 2022, another fight in Geylang turned deadly when a man was fatally attacked during a late-night altercation.

In 2024, a 67-year-old man died after suffering a skull fracture following an assault in a Geylang back alley. The case was investigated as grievous hurt leading to death.

And in 2026, a 70-year-old man was stabbed in the chest at Lorong 16 Geylang during a fight and later died in hospital.

These are only the fatal cases.

But Geylang is only one part of the picture.

𝐀𝐜𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬 𝐒𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬:

– A priest was stabbed during Mass at St Joseph’s Church in Bukit Timah;

– A woman attacked three men with a chopper in Chinatown’s People’s Park Complex;�

– A man allegedly stabbed his brother to death in Boon Lay;

– In Fernvale, a man allegedly stabbed his own mother to death;�

– In Yishun, a neighbour dispute ended with a mother of two killed;

– In Upper Serangoon Shopping Centre, a woman attacked two people with a knife;

– In Little India, 5 men were charged with rioting and slashing;

Each story is different, but the triggers shows an interesting pattern:

– a family argument;

– a neighbour dispute;

– a workplace conflict;

– a late-night fight;

Somehow the presence of a knife turned a moment of anger into something viscious.

Singapore remains a safe country but we’re going to now have to ask uncomfortable questions.

Are we paying enough attention to knife violence and violent disputes before they escalate?

Is society desensitized to violence by lowering censorship standards?

Should we be doing more about:

– early mediation in neighbour conflicts

– mental health and anger management

– the casual carrying of knives in disputes

– enforcement in nightlife areas like Geylang

𝐖𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐢𝐭 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐢𝐟 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐭 𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐦 𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐭-𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤𝐬?