Crimewatch (Singaporean TV series)

Crimewatch is a Singaporean television programme produced by the National Crime Prevention Council of Singapore and Singapore Police Force. It is aired on Channel 5, Channel 8, Suria and Vasantham. Currently presented by serving regular police officers, it showcases the work of the Singapore Police Force including re-enactment of solved cases, appeals for unsolved cases, as well as crime prevention advice. It is based on the German programme Aktenzeichen XY... ungelöst, or "File XY... Unsolved".

The series premiered on Channel 5 on 30 November 1986 and the Mandarin dubbing (绳之以法) on 7 December on Channel 8. The series later implemented Malay dubs for Suria (Jejak Jenayah) starting in 2000, followed by Tamil's Vasantham (Kutra Kannkaanippu) in 2001.

History[]

Crimewatch first premiered on 30 November 1986 with the first case featuring an unsolved murder of a 19-year-old national serviceman and a public appeal from the victim's parents. Less than two weeks after the episode was broadcast, police were able to identify and arrest the suspects based on information provided by viewers responding to the appeal.^[1] The series was met with positive reception and it has since aired on a monthly basis starting on 1993 with six episodes, before extending to ten episodes the following year. The series airs with only the Mandarin dubbing during the start, but it has since been extended to Malay in 1993, followed by Tamil in 1994.

The 2012 season was preceded by a retrospective special titled Crimewatch 25th Anniversary Special airing 19 February 2012 revisiting the series most memorable moments and interviews by the cast. The special was hosted by television actor Tay Ping Hui, which he also performed numerous crime television series such as C.L.I.F.. The 2012 season was also the first season to not feature narration which was implemented since the series' start.

Episodes in English and Mandarin after 1993 and episodes in Malay and Tamil after 2013 can be found on meWATCH and on the Singapore Police Force's YouTube channel.

Production for the 2020 season was postponed for two months on May and June due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no new episodes were aired; reruns of selected episodes took the place of the affected episodes, and as a result, this marked the first time the season aired monthly episodes on January and February.^{[citation needed]} The 2021 season premiered on 25 April 2021, making it the first season to premiere that is not on the usual March.^[2]

Format[]

Each season of Crimewatch consist of ten episodes, aired on every end of the month between March and December every year, usually on the third or fourth Sundays (English), or every last Friday (Mandarin) of the month, and every first Monday (Malay) or Thursday (Tamil) of the succeeding month.

Most episodes feature a reenactment of crimes that occurred in Singapore that plays for the entirely of the episode and a short segment on other advisories (such as the annual Great Singapore Sale). The segment ends with the presenter narrating the sentences for each criminals they received for the case, and offered advice to the public for their own protection and safety related to that particular segment. Recent episodes also feature information on scams, including mechanisms, statistics and advice from various government agencies and non-governmental organisations, such as those from the Singapore Police Force's Criminal Investigation Department and the National Crime Prevention Council.

Hosts[]

The current presenters for the series include Deputy Assistant Commissioner of Police (DAC) Julius Lim, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Zeya Lwin Tun, DSP Jonathan Au Yong, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) James Goh, Superintendent of Police (SUPT) Rachel Soh or SUPT Jessica Ang (Mandarin version), DSP Zainal Ramli (Malay version) and ASP Kalaichelvan Daniel (Tamil version).

Former hosts of the English version include:

• Supt Jargit Singh (1986–89)
• Insp M.F Pardesh (1986–87)
• Supt Tan Ngoh Chew (1987–89)
• DSP Philip Mah (1992–95, 2004)
• ASP Loy Chye Meng (1993) (Mandarin version)
• INSP Tan Chong Kuan (1994-96) (Mandarin version)
• DSP Aubeck Kam (1995–98)
• ASP Tan Chye Hee (1997-99) (Mandarin version)
• ASP Adrian Quek (1998)
• ASP Tristan Sim (1999)
• ASP Lau Peet Meng (2000)
• SUPT Koh Wei Keong (2000-06, 2008, 2020) (Mandarin version)
• DSP Audrey Ang (2000–2006)
• ASP Gail Wong (2007–09)
• ASP Lim Tung Li (2007-08) (Mandarin version)
• ASP Zainal Ramli (2008) (Malay version)
• ASP Justin Wong (2009) (Mandarin version)
• ASP Fadzil Abdul Rahman (2009) (Malay version)
• SUPT Jessica Ang (2010–)
• DAC Zed Teo Zi-Ming (2011–14)
• DAC Julius Lim (2011–17, 2020)

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

• Crimewatch