Frankly, most big cities in the developed world have lots of surveillance cameras in key areas, not just SG. I’m third generation Singaporean and I wasn’t even conscious of them till foreign visitors mentioned it because the cameras have never bothered me. There’s no need for concern or paranoia because these camera recordings are likely never scrutinised unless some incident happens eg a road accident, crime, etc. In which event, they are helpful in establishing what happened and who is at fault. I assure you that the SG authorities do have better things to do than spy on every individual through these cameras. 😂 99.99% of people are not important enough (sorry!) or give no reason for such surveillance. The cameras don’t bother most law abiding people, make potential criminals think twice, and keep our city safer. No problem. So chillax.
Yeap, cams never bother us. In fact, I feel safer....if anything happen there is "witness". Having video evidence solves so many crimes. I love to have them everywhere.
I think you see what you look for. London has more cameras per person than SG, and they are everywhere if you look, but no one ever says that about London.
As a citizen of Singapore I am glad that the government sets boundaries to what we can or cannot do and that makes me feels secure and free . I do not fear to go out late at night and alone. We are green everywhere and generally clean and there are lots of parks eveni in the public housing estates where about 80% of the population lives. We are proud to be a garden city. It’s expensive if you want to stay at fancy hotels or eat at up market restaurants. Yet there are lots of food courts and hawker centres or local coffee shops where one can have good food at decent price. Come and explore our housing estates and discover more hidden gems 😊
@@smitpatadiya9597 there is currently a covid case surge but it should go down before you arrive, the gov advises to wear masks in crowded places for now but it should be fine
I find the ones who usually worry about surveillance are Westerners, why is that? Most of the time locals hardly notice the cameras nor do we constantly think we are being watched. We go about our day just as we would before the cameras were installed. So, if you're not up to no good, there is nothing to worry about. It is there to keep us safe. :)
It's IMO due to the age of their systems, notably their police. Their police have a prior history of misuse and abuse so rather than say it's the cameras, what they really don't trust is their government and their police.
Well, I can only speak for myself - I suppose it's just very different. I am not used to that amount of surveillance - which is why it surprised me. Not saying it's objectively good or bad, just that there is a lot compared to what I see elsewhere. Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts :)
@@thenordicadam Yeah I can get why it's a fright if you are not familiar with what is going on behind the scenes. It'll feel like there are people watching every move you make. One of the key reasons why I think Singaporeans are blased about it is because they know there isn't really anyone behind the lens. The police force in Singapore is majority conscripted, which means that a lot of random citizens would have gone through the whole police "experience" and they would have an insider's look into the whole thing. This also breeds quite a bit of both sympathy and contempt to the police rather than the paranoia that exists in other countries. Other countries might see police and go "Avoid them, they might beat you up." but in Singapore, it's more like "You guys on guard duty?? Bwahahaha sucks to be you!". "Sure, laugh. Wait till you get recalled and get guard duty too, then I'll laugh at you!" lol. To paraphrase a line from the Incredibles : If everyone is the police, no one is (going to be afraid of them).
@@danielc2701well simgaporean here sg police main purpose is to pdotect ppl from being victim of crime(s) and they take very serious about the law-breaker(s) they dont necessarily like 'oh sucks to be you'. as for CCTV, its not like spy like western countries do. it actually help to solve police crime(s) along with locals' help. in fact iirc, 40% of crimes r solved by CCTV. so police dont necessarily look at CCTV this n that. they only use them for investigation
Actually I am rather disappointed that there are hardly any enforcements of errant smoking, littering, flushing of toilets etc. Many laws are not enforced. I wish they use the surveillance system to nab the errant smoking and littering. Actually I doubt they are so free to watch us. They use the system only after a major crime has happened. In general majority of people do not litter. But some litters can still be found here and there.
Interesting, thanks for sharing! Now that I think about it, we only saw the police once during our whole stay. Not a lot of people commit crimes here, which I guess is the most important point :)
The other parts of Singapore is cleanest than some of the tourist place. I live in far Northern east of Singapore. The most greenest and nature place to live in. Very quiet and serene i must say
The CCTV is there for after the fact and solve crime. It is not there to watch what you do and catch you in the act in general. If you are not committing mismeandor or felony, you are actually free. My 8 year old takes the public transport home alone , 40 mins journey. And i dont worry about it.
On the point of cultural and ethnic enclaves, its actually the result of british divide and rule policy by the east indian company. Interestingly, Singapore has a housing policy that stipulates racial quotas to ensure a well mixed racial profile in each housing area. Nevertheless, such ethnic areas are preserved as it serves cultural identity, education, tourism, and heritage.
@@thenordicadamYeah I think one thing a lot of travellers do not know from just visiting is that the Malay and Indian population are not just living in those enclaves. They're just where it is easier for them to get some of the more unique necessities or products. Same goes for the Chinese and Chinatown. I would say that they're 50% there for tourism, 25% for special occasions and 25% for foreign workers. They're there for heritage preservation and serve as good curated exotic spots for tourists to see and experience "multiculturalism" but are not reflective of the day to day lives of the average Singaporean.
@@entrydenied Ah, yeah, that's something I would have never figured out by myself from just this visit - thanks for this. It does make a lot of sense! :)
Everybody seems to know that "Singapore is the most expensive city", but no one remembers that this was the ranking by the "Economic Intelligence Unit" (EIU), and they provide this ranking for businesses who may be considering posting their staff to Singapore to work, and then they would need to pay these expatriates a "Hardship allowance" for being forced to work in a backwater country like Singapore. Where accommodation is expensive, cars are expensive, alcohol and tobacco are heavily taxed. And so these staff will need a huge hardship allowance so that they would be able have a lifestyle to which they have been accustomed. And that is why Singapore is expensive. But, your experience tells you that "Singapore is Expensive" is true only as a matter of choice. Mostly.
You might not realise it but did you notice you hardly saw police officers on the street? Btw, no one is watching you realtime on the CCTV. They record footage only for later use when there is a need to investigate a crime. Despite all the signage about fines for doing this or that, there is very little enforcement. Jaywalking can be quite common. You will see a bit more litters scattered here and there outside the tourist areas where people work and live. But then, only a minority of people litter. The rest don't.
Yes - we only saw the police once during our whole stay. And when we did, we actually went 'oh, hey, that's the first time we see police'. Thanks for sharing - and watching!
No one restrict you in SG. It’s a country that respect authority. I can walk around and don’t feel that I will be robbed or mug. As a woman I can walk on the street without fear. I live in peace with people of all races. That’s amazing! I love Singapore❤️
One interesting fact about Car ownership is that we need to pay for a certificate of entitlement (COE) to own a car for 10 years. Google the cost of one certificate and you will be surprised. 😬
Surveillance cameras are everywhere in developed countries/cities, whether it be Singapore, S Korea, Japan, China (developing) ,London or NY. The aforementioned countries happen to be superbly safe, all of which I've travelled with perhaps the exception of London and NY. London still feels safe if you do not stray too far away from the city centre. So maybe it's not just the presence of CCTVs but the over-all mentality of the people that makes up the country as well which decides whether a place is safe or not, with or without the CCTV. They are meant for reviewing the footages if a crime, snatch theft or murder took place rather than to keep tabs of your movement. You've nothing to be afraid of or feel your freedom being curbed if you do not have a criminal mind. On a per capita basis, London and NY prob have the highest no of CCTVs. I'm Singaporean but the CCTVs don't register on our mind. However, some locals and even tourists trust too much in the omnipresence of the CCTVs that they can leave their laptop, wallet etc around when they walked away to order their food. While it's true in most cases, their possessions will still be there when they got back, but still be reminded that "low crime doesn't mean no crime", noting that not all residents in Singapore are Singaporeans, there are foreign migrants that flew in by the day, do their stuff and leave before night fall. (Ermm, I've done naughty things in the park that's not criminal where the CCTVs are but I've not been called up, so I know what they are for, lol...tested by me). It appears to me westerners generally have more issues with the CCTVs than asians.
as someone living in singapore this country is definitely not that much different in terms of cleanliness than other countries in fact when you walk around in singapore you can actually spot trash everywhere, also i would say that most of the laws here are just based off of common sense and you do not really need to pay attention to it, unless you are doing some really illegal stuff small things like littering accidentally will probably not land you in that much trouble which is both an up and a down. Basically we are actually not that clean and laws are too relaxed but at the same time they are there because it just makes sense for them to be there. Although the cycling helmet rule seems to be a little too much
Nah, as a Singaporean, the cleanliness remains consistently high throughout Singapore. While the government does enhance cleanliness in touristy areas, overall, it's fairly consistent.
A lot don'ts in Singapore are also not rigorously enforced, but rather as a reminder of what constitutes good behaviour and being civic conscious. A lot of people jaywalk, crossing when there's no traffic crossing because it's too far away or when the light hasn't turned green. But jaywalk at your own risk because if an accident do happen, CCTVs would show the law won't be on your side. Flushing after use, even if you are not being watched, is a good and considerate habit that's encouraged. I don't mind if people get penalised for it, imagining walking into a cubicle what all the smelly mess that's not been flushed away. A lot of the fines and penalties are a legacy of the past when people back then were boorish and uneducated. I guess it still stays more as a mental deterrent to bad behaviour esp from some sections of the local people and unclassy tourists!
Singapore's traffic lights don't stay more than one minutes in red. You've to press the button below the traffic light for the lights to start turning, else you'll have a long wait.
Btw we dont need a car . Singapore is so small n the public transport is not bad. My apt at Punggol which is in the northeast of singapores full of greeneries. We hv chickens too😂
@@syarifahnajwa5491me living northern yishun near the river (10 minutes walk from canberra mrt) and ever since theres construction over there and no more trees, i keep hearing kacoocoo and seeing chicken roaming the park path got used to it since construction started like before covid
You can indeed visit SIngapore on a budget, if you find affordable accomodation and eat in the foodcourts and at the hawker centres all around the island. Transport will still be costly, as you cannot get everywhere by MRT, and Grab is not that cheap in Singapore. As for safety and cleanliness, if you go to the less touristic places like around Geylang, it is not as glitzy and shiny, but imho more authentic. You’d still see the other side of Singapore with more or less hidden prostitution areras, illegal activities behind closed doors and the people are different. Also, these places have way more ‘soul’, than the glitzy donwtown areas. I’ve lived in Singapore for more than a decade, originally from Europe, I still have a PR, but happy I made the decision to move to Kuala Lumpur. Singapore is like Disneyland, it is artificial and commercialised, whereas in Malaysia I can breathe, way more space, friendlier people, more value for the money and a food culture that is probably even more diverse and intense, than Singapore.
Probably - but that's the whole point of my video. For you, my concerns are strange - for me, the surveillance is strange :) That is one of the reasons I like to travel, you get to see the world in new ways and how other people see it. Thanks for watching! :)
I assumed so, as many had their whole family, loads of blankets, food etc. But of course I can't know for sure - I didn't ask :) - Yeah, I guess it's hard to avoid completely.. But still a lot better than in most other places I have visited!
