Punishment for Vandalism Bill

Bill No. 36/1966

Read the first time on 17th August 1966.

An Act to provide for exemplary punishment for acts of vandalism.

Be it enacted by the President with the advice and consent of the Parliament of Singapore, as follows: —

Short title and commencement

1. This Act may be cited as the Punishment for Vandalism Act, 1966, and shall come into operation on such date as the Minister may, by notification in the Gazette, appoint.

Interpretation

2. In this Act —

“private property” means movable or immovable property other than public property;

“public property” means movable or immovable property belonging to the Government or to the Government of any Commonwealth or foreign country or to any statutory body or authority or to any armed force lawfully present in Singapore;

“act of vandalism” means —

(a)

without the written authority of an authorised officer or representative of the Government or of the Government of any Commonwealth or foreign country or of any statutory body or authority or of any armed force lawfully present in Singapore in the case of public property, or without the written consent of the owner or occupier in the case of private property —

(i)	writing, drawing, painting, marking or inscribing on any public property or private property any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing; or
(ii)	affixing, posting up or displaying on any public property or private property any poster, placard, advertisement, bill, notice, paper or other document; or
(iii)	hanging, suspending, hoisting, affixing or displaying on or from any public property or private property any flag, bunting, standard, banner or the like with any word, slogan, caricature, drawing, mark, symbol or other thing; or

(b)

stealing, destroying or damaging any public property.

Penalty for acts of vandalism

3. Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of section 11 of the Minor Offences Ordinance (Cap. 117), any person who commits any act of vandalism or attempts to do any such act or causes any such act to be done shall be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding one thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months, and shall also, subject to the provisions of section 274 of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 132), be punished with caning:

Provided that the punishment of caning shall not be imposed on a first conviction under this Act in the case of any act falling within the provisions of —

(a)	paragraph (a)(i) of the definition of “act of vandalism” in section 1 of this Act, if the writing, drawing, mark or inscription is done with pencil, crayon, chalk or other delible substance or thing and not with paint, tar or other indelible substance or thing; or
(b)	paragraph (a)(ii) or (a)(iii) of the said definition.

Written authority or written consent to be produced on demand to certain persons

4.—(1) The written authority or the written consent, as the case may be, required under paragraph (a) of the definition of “act of vandalism” in section 1 of this Act shall be produced on demand to any member of the Singapore Police Force or of the Special Constabulary or of the Auxiliary Police Force or to any member of the naval, military or air force police attached to the armed forces of Singapore or to any armed force lawfully present in Singapore.

(2) Any person who fails, refuses or neglects to produce such written authority or written consent on demand as provided in subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence under this Act and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding five hundred dollars.

Power to seize article or thing in respect of which offence committed

5. Any person mentioned in subsection (1) of section 4 of this Act may seize any poster, placard, bunting, paper or document or any other article or thing whatsoever in respect of which he reasonably believes an offence to have been committed under this Act or which he reasonably believes to be or to contain evidence relating to such an offence.

Offences to be seizable and non-bailable

6. Every offence under the provisions of this Act shall be seizable and non-bailable for the purposes of the Criminal Procedure Code (Cap. 132).

Search within Legislation