Wilson Xie
087779B12
T7
Crimes and Criminals
What goes on in the minds of criminals? Many a times, we who are “flawless” and “spotless” in conduct ask ourselves this question. Yet we fail to empathize with the criminal mindset, so often one of desperation, hopelessness and fear.
Globalization has brought about many changes in our society. Of great importance is the improvement in trans-country or trans-continental travel which can be attributed to the exponential development of air travel. This has capacitated greater ease in migration, leading to a great influx of expatriates to foreign lands. Such an increase in migration has brought about societal changes that result in the ascent in crimes rates.
The escalation of foreign talents has led to the marginalization of various clusters of personnel in the workforce. In Singapore, the influx of cheap labor from Bangladesh and China has caused many lower-skilled workers in Singapore to be displaced from their jobs. Local workers who are unable and unwilling to live on a meager salary of less than $800 a month, will find their services terminated by their employers who have no qualms in employing a foreign worker in their place. Foreign workers are more than willing to work earnestly for this sum of money because, the foreign exchange rate would enable their salary earned in Singapore dollar to be of a much higher relative value in their homeland. Many poor and uneducated Singaporeans instead turn to petty theft like shoplifting and pick-pocketing to find avenue of outlet for their relative poverty. Furthermore, as many of them are uneducated, they do not seek help from relevant authorities, who can otherwise extend a lending hand to them.
On the other polar end, many educated Singaporeans are finding it an Herculean effort to source for well-paying jobs in the corporate world. This thorny issue is no less due to globalization. A large number of firms in Singapore hire expatriates to fill up high- managerial positions. This has left many educated Singaporeans to be left out in the cold. Such people have turned to more complex crimes like money laundering and illegal pyramid schemes to earn quick money.
Of course, such economic problems lead to social problems as well. In countries like Australia, many of its White natives look upon immigrants as usurping their economic and education birthrights. Asian immigrants make up a huge percentage of foreigners in Australia. A large number of them receive high salaries and do well in their studies. This excellence has naturally led to citizens being green-eyed. As such, many racially-induced crimes have taken place. Beatings, bullying and even murders have taken place in account of racial discriminations.
Furthermore, the advent of the age of technology has aided criminals to engage in crimes in ways more sophisticated than before. Due to the inter-connectivity of a globalized world, the need for cashless transactions has risen. While such transactions are mostly carried out with various layers of safe protocols, cyber criminals who are well versed in their field of hacking can hijack millions of dollars world in heist. The global issue of terrorism has also been escalated by technological enhancements. Radical groups like the Al Queda and the Irish Republican Army have made use of cutting edge communication devices like the Global Positioning Relay Satellite(GPRS) to track illusive cell members and pin-point bombing targets, and even mere mobile phones to increase cell members’ mobility.
The “shrinking” world has brought and array of ethnic groups together. This engagement has at times caused friction and other times harmonious blending of culture. The government has a role to play by proactively engaging in crime prevention and beefing up security issues against terrorism and other crimes. While we cannot turn our backs on a radically improved world of higher living standards, we must diligently protect our own assets, that is to say, our loved ones and monetary assets against insidious motives.
