SINGAPORE: Singapore is known across the globe as one of the safest countries in the world, where if you inadvertently leave something valuable, chances are it will still be there when you return.
People have been known to leave keys, laptops, bags, and other personal items unattended in public, both by accident and on purpose. Many times, their belongings were left alone.
One man decided to carry out a social experiment by leaving a luxury watch worth $60,000 at Merlion Park just to see how long it would take for someone else to take it. In an April 4 video on TikTok, a luxury watch dealer who goes by @TimeTells Watches wrote, “Let’s see how long it takes for someone to steal a $60,000 watch in Singapore.”
So far, it has racked up over 194,000 views.
@timetellswatches Would you have taken this AP? 👀
A timer the content creator set shows that while he left the watch alone for 35 minutes, not one person at the park gave it any attention.
“This is Singapore lah!” he wrote.
Read related: Singapore in the top 10 lists of safest cities to visit for millennials, mature travelers, and families
Many commenters on his video, however, appeared to cast doubts on his social experiment, saying that if the watch had been left in other places around Singapore, the result might have been completely different. They suggested that next time, he could leave the watch at Ang Mo Kio, Yishun, Tuas, Geylang, Little India, Chinatown, or other such places.
“The place makes a huge difference,” one pointed out, while others claimed that the “rich tourists” at Merlion Park were unlikely to take a watch that didn’t belong to them.
“This is a tourist spot. Humans are still human,” one wrote, adding that there are desperate people even in Singapore.
Others guessed that the watch could have been safe because it had a camera in front of it, taking a video of the scene. The content creator appeared to acknowledge this and replied that he would remove the camera next time.
“I’m surprised the camera is still there,” another quipped, while one chimed in to say, “In Europe, [the] camera will be stolen as well.”
Another commenter joked, “Where will you go next? Let me know in advance.”
Others pointed out that such an expensive accessory would be hard to sell or exchange for cash and that people who do want to steal would be more inclined to go for items that exchange hands easily.
Another remarked that when one loses their mobile phone, it’s unlikely that it would be returned.
Some, however, appear to still believe in the safety of the city-state, with one writing, “This is Singapore.”
One wrote that women in Singapore use their branded items, even those from Louis Vuitton or Chanel, to reserve seats at food courts, while another pointed out that “CCTVs are everywhere.”
“So proud to live here,” chimed in another. /TISG
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