Quora Answer: In Singapore, Will a Person Caught Vandalising Receive Mandatory Caning?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “In Singapore, will a person caught vandalising receive a mandatory caning?”

As per the Vandalism Act (Cap 341), which can be accessed on Statutes Online, caning is mandatory for acts of vandalism that are deemed permanent.  For example, defacing a sign with chalk is an offence, but because that chalk is easily cleaned off, there is no caning.  That same defacement with spray paint, is deemed “indelible”, requiring greater effort at clean up.  In such a case, caning is mandatory.  This applies also to vandalism where destruction of property is involved.  Uprooting plants is an act of vandalism, but those plants can be planted back, so it can be addressed.  Breaking a sculpture is a more serious act, and caning is mandatory.