Understanding ‘Happy Slapping’

Abstract

There have been several cases worldwide of a phenomenon termed ‘happy slapping’ in the recent years. This paper discusses happy slapping and undertakes an analysis of this new crime trend. The analysis is undertaken using four angles (the ‘CLIP profiling approach’ employed by the Behavioural Sciences Unit, Singapore) using five case studies from different parts of the world: a criminalistics and forensic science perspective, a legal perspective, an investigative and operational perspective and a psychological perspective. Each perspective provides a richer understanding of this new phenomenon. The paper concludes with recommendations for future research on this phenomenon.