Safe Singapore: No locks!

In the photo, you can see the most reliable lock that many shops in Singapore use. However, this shop has an entrance from the street. But if the shop is inside a shopping mall, they might simply hang a sign on a rope: “Closed. Please do not enter!” and go home.

I have generally felt very safe in Singapore. I may even have become a little careless and will need to relearn some habits when I travel elsewhere. Here are a few examples from my own life:

🚪 We don’t lock the front door of our apartment when we go out (you can’t reach our floor in the elevator without a card).

🚕 I confidently send my 9-year-old son in a taxi alone.

📱 People reserve tables in cafes or food courts with their phones or even wallets: they put their phone on the table and go order food.

🌝 I usually feel comfortable walking around at night.

📣 If someone starts arguing or even just talking loudly, the whole street will turn around because it’s very unusual.