***********************************************************
Following is a reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Ambrose S K Lee, to a question by the Hon Lau Kong-wah in the Legislative Council today (June 10):
Question:
In the past six months, three incidents of corrosive fluid being thrown from a height onto Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct occurred one after another, causing injuries to dozens of passers-by. Such incidents not only posed serious threats to the safety of members of the public and tourists, but also dealt a blow to the business of the shops nearby. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the respective numbers of reports on incidents of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts in the past three years and the resultant casualties, together with the detection rates and the heaviest penalty imposed on the convicted persons;
(b) what measures the authorities had implemented to address the problem of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts in the past five years; of the criteria adopted by the authorities for deciding whether or not to install closed-circuit television systems, commonly called the "sky eyes", for pedestrian precincts, as well as the installation process and the time normally required; and
(c) whether the authorities will provide additional resources to the District Councils concerned to tackle the problem of objects being thrown from a height onto pedestrian precincts and help the nearby buildings, in particular those old buildings which have not formed owners' corporations, to enhance security and improve the quality of building management?
Reply:
President,
(a) For 2006 and 2007, the Police have maintained only the overall figures on incidents of objects dropping from height onto the streets, and have not kept separate statistics on incidents of objects being thrown from height onto pedestrian precincts. For 2008, there was one report on objects being thrown from height onto a pedestrian precinct. The case involved corrosive fluid being thrown onto the Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct in December 2008 and 46 people were injured in the incident. Two further incidents involving corrosive fluid being thrown from height occurred in the Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct in May and June 2009 respectively, with 56 people being injured in total. The Police are still investigating these three cases and no arrest has been made.
(b) The Police attach great importance to incidents of objects being thrown from height. To prevent such incidents, the Police organise publicity and public education activities on an ongoing basis, and arrange School Liaison Officers to advise students of the harm and serious consequences of throwing objects from height. Members of the public as well as students are urged not to commit such offence. As regards law enforcement, the Police will refer all cases of objects being thrown from height causing injury to passers-by to their criminal investigation units for follow up. In the course of investigation, the Police will take the initiative to contact caretakers of buildings near the crime scenes and, depending on the circumstances of each case, conduct door to-door visits to residents and shop operators in the buildings concerned to collect information related to the case. Depending on the post-event circumstances, the Police will also step up patrols in the vicinity of the crime scene and remind beat officers to pay particular attention to suspicious persons in order to protect the safety of the public.
Installation of closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in public places has implications on personal privacy and need to be handled with care. At present, the Hong Kong Police Force has not installed any CCTV systems in public places (including pedestrian precincts) on a permanent basis for the purpose of maintaining public order. The Government will collect the views of the District Councils (DCs) on the handling of the problem of objects being thrown from height and examine ways to tackle the issue.
As regards the installation of a CCTV system in the Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct by the Yau Tsim Mong District Council (YTMDC), taking into account the heavy pedestrian flow of the pedestrian precinct and the previous incident of corrosive fluid being thrown from height, YTMDC agreed in December last year to install a CCTV system in that pedestrian precinct and set up the Working Group on Mong Kok Pedestrian Precinct to follow up the issue. Government departments, including the Yau Tsim Mong District Office (YTMDO), the Hong Kong Police Force and the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) were invited to join the working group. Moreover, YTMDO and YTMDC immediately started to identify suitable locations for the installation of the CCTV system, sought advice from the Department of Justice and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, formulated guidelines for the operation of the CCTV system and held a public consultation forum. EMSD conducted a tendering exercise soon after the District Facilities Management Committee under YTMDC approved funding in March this year. The CCTV system began operation in early June 2009. The entire project, from the setting up of a working group to the commencement of operation of the system, took about six months.
(c) The District Offices (DOs) have always encouraged and assisted owners in their respective districts to adopt good and effective building management practices and to enhance building management (including building security). Apart from assisting owners to form owners' corporations, DOs also encourage owners to form residents' organisations (such as owners' committees and mutual aid committees) or engage management companies or personnel with a view to enhancing building security and promoting effective building management. On publicity and education, DOs, in collaboration with the DCs and the District Fight Crime Committees, have all along organised publicity and public education activities to enhance the awareness of residents and shop operators in their respective districts to step up building security. DOs also play an active role in organising various building management courses and seminars in collaboration with DCs and organisations concerned for building owners with a view to promoting good and effective building management.
DOs will continue to encourage owners, including owners of buildings in the vicinity of pedestrian precincts, to form corporations and other residents' organisations and to adopt good building management practices. At the same time, DOs will more proactively invite owners of buildings in the vicinity of pedestrian precincts to participate in the above publicity and public activities so as to raise their security awareness and drive them to enhance the security measures of their buildings. The Government will, if necessary, make available additional resources to enhance efforts in this regard.
Ends/Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Issued at HKT 14:39
NNNN
