An average of 600 people were fined each year for urinating or defecating in public from 2020 to 2024, according to the National Environment Agency (NEA).
The highest number of fines –totalling 1,300 – was issued in 2023.
This increase was attributed to a rise in feedback regarding cleanliness hot spots that year, which led to more officers being deployed during that period, an NEA spokesperson said in response to queries from The Straits Times.
Cleanliness hotspots refer to areas with cleanliness or hygiene concerns. These areas are identified either via data collected by NEA or feedback from the public.
In 2020 and 2021, 200 people were fined each year for committing such acts. The number rose to 700 in 2022 and 1,300 in 2023, before dropping to 700 in 2024.
NEA said that these numbers do not include those who were charged by the police.
“Our officers actively check and take enforcement action at cleanliness hotspots, which include locations identified via public feedback,” a spokesperson said, without elaborating on the locations of the cleanliness hotspots.
In January alone, at least three men were spotted urinating at MRT stations.
Chinese national Li Guorui, 41, was fined S$2,000 (RM6,500)for being a public nuisance.
On Jan 15, two Singaporean men were charged with urinating at two different MRT stations.
Zhou Hongwei, 57, urinated in front of the passenger service centre at Potong Pasir MRT station on Jan 13 at around 7.30pm.
According to charge sheets, Zhou allegedly committed the act knowing it would cause a common annoyance to the public.
In court, Zhou said he wanted to plead guilty to the offence and would not be engaging a defence lawyer. He is expected to plead guilty when he returns to court on Feb 26.
Soo Fook Khan, 53, was charged with urinating at the platform of Tanah Merah MRT station on Jan 8 at around 12.30pm.
Soo has been remanded at the Institute of Mental Health for a medical examination. — The Straits Times/ANN
