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Section history

Section 453 — Possession of house-breaking implements or offensive weapons

As in force on 31 December 2021.

Timeline 5 versions
  1. 30 March 1987 Enacted
  2. 1 January 2020 Act 15 of 2019
  3. 31 December 2021 Revised edition
  4. 24 March 2025 Act 43 of 2024
  5. 17 August 2026 Latest
Revised edition in force 31 December 2021

The text below is this provision as reproduced in the Revised Edition that came into force on this date. A revised edition consolidates the law without changing its substance, so editorial amendments — such as renumbering, updated citations and formatting — may have been made but are not shown as a redline.

453.Possession of house-breaking implements or offensive weapons

(1)Any person who is found —

(a)armed with any instrument for shooting, stabbing or cutting, or any instrument which, used as a weapon of offence, is likely to cause death, without lawful authority or a lawful purpose;

(b)having his face covered or otherwise found disguised with intent to commit any offence; or

(c)equipped with any article or instrument for use in the course of or in connection with any house‑breaking,

shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction be punished with imprisonment for a term which may extend to 2 years, or with fine, or with both; and any instrument or article, mentioned in paragraph (a) or (c), found in the possession of that person shall be forfeited.

(2)In any prosecution for an offence under subsection (1)(a), it is sufficient for the prosecution to allege and prove that the accused was found to be armed with any instrument mentioned in paragraph (a) and the burden is then on the accused to show that he had lawful authority or a lawful purpose to be so armed.

(3)An article or instrument is presumed to be carried with lawful authority if it is carried by —

(a)any member of the Singapore Armed Forces, the Singapore Police Force, the Singapore Civil Defence Force or any auxiliary police force created under any written law;

(b)a forensic specialist, civilian police assistant or law enforcement officer acting in the course of his duty as such in accordance with the Police Force Act 2004;

(c)any visiting force lawfully present in Singapore under the provisions of any law relating to visiting forces; or

(d)any person as part of his official or ceremonial dress on any official or ceremonial occasion.