The security situation in Singapore's Little India precinct, the central point of the country's worst riots in 40 years, has improved in the recent years, police said today.
By and large, foreign workers have also not caused major problems in over the years in Little India, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) T Raja Kumar told the state-appointed Committee of Inquiry (COI).
Giving evidence to the COI's public hearing into December 8 riot, Kumar said: "A lot of attention has been paid to Little India in terms of enforcement on the ground."
Kumar said that in the period between 2009 and 2013, the crime rate in Little India fell by over 32 per cent.
The four-member committee had asked why there was no regular deployment of Special Operations Command (SOC) troops to patrol the Little India area.
COI member and former Commissioner of Police Tee Tua Ba then pointed to large crowds and consumption of alcohol during the weekends, which he called a "deadly combination".
Kumar replied that more resources are deployed for planned events such as Thaipusam, a Hindu religious event celebrated in the area.
Little India is a precinct of Indian-origin businesses, eateries and pubs where migrant workers from South Asia spend their day off.
The COI is holding public hearing into the Little India riot that erupted on the night of December 8, 2013, when an Indian national was killed in a bus accident.
