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The following is issued on behalf of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council:
Yau Tsim Mong District Council's Working Group on Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct held a special meeting this morning (May 18) to discuss the recent incident of objects falling from a height in the pedestrian precinct.
At the meeting, members requested the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to speed up the installation of closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) in the pedestrian precinct. The EMSD pledged to speed up the work.
Working group chairman Mr Hau Wing-cheong said district councillors were very concerned about the "falling objects" incidents. Though the CCTVs are only one of the measures to deter similar incidents and to assist the authorities to bring the culprits to justice, councillors said they hoped the project would be completed as soon as possible in response to public aspirations.
On behalf of the District Council, Mr Hau expressed his sympathy to those injured in the incident and strongly condemned the culprit.
Mr Hau said, "The first line of defence is very important. We urge residents, owners' corporations and residents' organisations in the district to join together to deploy more security guards and install simple camera systems at the entrances or rooftops of their buildings. These could have a deterrent effect and would help prevent similar incidents from occuring in future and improve overall security.
"The District Council has strongly demanded that the police act swiftly to bring the culprits to justice and to step up patrol work, with a police van stationed in the precinct as an extraordinary measure in this period."
District Officer (Yau Tsim Mong) Mrs Vicki Kwok said the District Office would work closely with the District Council to speed up the installation work. The office would contact owners' corporations, mutual aid committees and residents' groups to urge them to strengthen the security systems of their buildings.
The working group, formed under the District Council last year after a "falling objects" incident took place in the Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct, has held several meetings to discuss the installation of CCTVs in the area. The District Council and the District Office have also consulted government departments and residents on the installation project. Operation guidelines for the CCTV system have been formulated to ensure that a reasonable balance between the safety of passers-by and the privacy of residents will be upheld. The project was handed over to the EMSD to carry out the required procedures in relation to the design and installation of the system, after the District Council approved the necessary funding in March. At the special meeting this morning, the EMSD undertook to complete the installation work as soon as possible.
Ends/Monday, May 18, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:58
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