Following is a question by the Hon Nixie Lam and a written reply by the Secretary for Security, Mr Tang Ping-keung, in the Legislative Council today (October 8):

Question:

     There are views pointing out that despite the Government's repeated appeals for members of the public to stay away from dangerous areas during inclement weather, many people ignore such appeals and go storm-chasing. Such acts not only pose a serious threat to their own lives but also add to the burden of Government rescue services and deplete public emergency response resources. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the total number of cases received by the Government in the past two years where members of the public disregarded the Government's appeals and engaged in high-risk activities (such as storm-chasing, wave-watching, swimming) when inclement weather warning signals (including Amber, Red or Black Rainstorm Warnings, and Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals No. 3 or above) were in force, subsequently encountering danger and seeking assistance; the average cost incurred by the Hong Kong Fire Services Department and the Government Flying Service in conducting search and rescue operations for such cases;

(2) whether it will review the existing legislation to introduce clear penalties against the acts of members of the public of engaging in high-risk activities under inclement weather warnings, for example, imposing stringent penalties for going to high-risk locations (such as coastal areas, mountain creeks, and embankments) when a rainstorm warning signal is in force, so as to enhance the deterrent effect; if so, of the specific details (including timetable); if not, the reasons for that; and

(3) as it has been reported that some parents still bring their children to high-risk areas during extreme weather, whether the Government will, in response to such reckless acts, further enhance the regulations concerning the care and supervision of children, including expressly defining such acts as illegal and stepping up the relevant penalties; how the Government will enhance parents' safety awareness during extreme weather through family education by means of home-school communication, community parent-child activities, etc.?

Reply:

President,

     In recent years, extreme weather has become increasingly frequent. Whenever a storm approaches, the Government would remind members of the public in advance through various channels to stay vigilant and refrain from taking risks for wind-chasing and wave-watching, and repeatedly advise the public to stay away from high-risk locations. However, there are still individuals who disregard the safety of themselves and their families, and take their young children to the shorelines or other high-risk locations to chase winds and watch waves, imperiling their safety.

     The Government strongly condemns wind-chasing and wave-watching behaviours during typhoons, which are selfish acts disregarding personal and public safety. Wind-chasers and wave-watchers often underestimate the risks of typhoons and rainstorms while overestimate their own ability to escape from danger. Such highly irresponsible behaviours not only endanger the safety of themselves and their children, but also place rescue personnel in extremely dangerous situations when accident occurs. These acts also unnecessarily increase the burden on public rescue services, unduly diverting resources away from those genuinely in urgent need of rescue, and thereby compromising the public interest.

     In consultation with the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Education Bureau (EDB), the Environment and Ecology Bureau and the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, the consolidated reply to the question raised by the Hon Nixie Lam is as follows:

(1) The Fire Services Department (FSD), the Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF), and the Government Flying Service have been deployed for mountain rescue arising from camping, hiking and immersion incidents arising from swimming or surfing activities when Amber, Red or Black Rainstorm Warning Signals, or Tropical Cyclone Warning Signals No. 3 or above were in force. Details of such cases between January 1, 2023 and August 31, 2025 are as follows:
 

Year	Number of mountain rescue incidents	Personnel deployed	Number of immersion incidents	Personnel deployed
2023	23	352	16	334
2024	25	229	4	170
2025 (as at August 31)	10	103	3	123

     The rescue teams have not maintained statistical breakdown of their operating costs.

(2) The Government is highly concerned about and strongly condemns the acts of individuals engaging in high-risk activities during adverse weather conditions, particularly those persons who bring young children to seafronts or dangerous locations for chasing winds and watching waves. The HKPF, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) currently have regulations in place to regulate such dangerous behaviours, which include:
 

• Section 27(1) of the Offences against the Person Ordinance (Cap. 212) stipulates that if any parent or individual responsible for care brings a child or young person under the age of 16 for wind-chasing or wave-watching activities in a manner that may endanger their life, such person can be arrested for the offence of "neglect by those in charge of a child or young person";
• Section 63 of the Police Force Ordinance (Cap. 232) stipulates that if any individual refuses to comply with Police officer's order to leave the waterfront and return to safe location, such person can be arrested for the offence of "obstructing a Police officer";
• Sections 4(1) and (2) of the Bathing Beaches Regulation (Cap. 132E) empowers the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services to close beaches, prohibiting members of the public from entering or using them;
• Section 4 of the Pleasure Grounds Regulations (Cap. 132BC) empowers the Director of Leisure and Cultural Services to close pleasure grounds, prohibiting members of the public from entering or using them; and
• Sections 13(1) to (3) of the Country Parks and Special Areas Regulations (Cap. 208A) empowers the Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation to close country parks, prohibiting members of the public from entering or using them.

     During the recent onslaught of Super Typhoon Ragasa, the HKPF took stringent enforcement actions including conducting three operations resulting in the arrest of four persons in total. These persons had brought young children to seafronts or dangerous locations for wind-chasing and wave-watching activities during adverse weather conditions, and were suspected of committing the offence of "neglect by those in charge of a child or young person" under the Offences against the Person Ordinance. In addition, a man was found swimming at the closed Golden Beach in Tuen Mun, suspected of contravening the Bathing Beaches Regulation. The HKPF had applied for summons to prosecute that person. The HKPF will actively follow up on relevant cases and will timely publicise enforcement actions to demonstrate the Government's zero tolerance stance towards such behaviours.

     The above-mentioned enforcement actions have clearly demonstrated the Government's resolute stance on holding individuals accountable for the irresponsible acts endangering life safety. The Government has also taken note of the views in the community calling for a response, from the legislative perspective, to target the irresponsible wind-chasing and wave-watching behaviours during adverse weather conditions. The Government will take a holistic view in studying this issue.

(3) During the onslaught of Super Typhoon Ragasa, the HKPF effectively invoked the offence of "neglect by those in charge of a child or young person" under the Offences against the Person Ordinance to prosecute persons who brought children to wave-watching spots, demonstrating that the relevant legislation has delivered tangible results. The offence of "neglect by those in charge of a child or young person" carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment, which has a high deterrent effect.

     To further enhance the safety awareness of parents and children during adverse weather, the EDB has integrated relevant learning into school curricula, including teaching instructions to be delivered in the Humanities curriculum in primary schools to familiarise students with various weather warning signals and relevant precautions to be taken. Additionally, the Geography curriculum of secondary schools also covers topics to introduce various extreme weather conditions, such as rainstorms and typhoons. These initiatives aim to familiarise students with various weather warning signals and the preventive measures to be taken, thereby nurturing their awareness and sense of responsibility during adverse weather conditions. The EDB would also disseminate messages to parents via its "eBulletin for Parents" website to remind parents and students of the matters they should pay attention to when travelling to and from school under adverse weather conditions. Where necessary, the EDB would also notify schools and request them to further convey the relevant information to parents. In addition, the LCSD and the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society jointly organise the Water Safety Campaign annually to promote messages such as "Be considerate and refrain from engaging in water sports activities under adverse weather". The LCSD also organises multiple outreach activities to enhance the awareness of primary and secondary students on water safety. This year, over 1 500 students participated in these activities. Concurrently, the FSD has launched the Fire Services Department Community Emergency Responder (FSDCER) Scheme in 2024. Through handouts and lectures, the public are equipped with self-rescue knowledge related to disaster preparedness, response to adverse weather conditions, drowning and mountain accidents, enhancing their emergency response capabilities and awareness. The programme has been promoted to various levels, including schools, social organisations and parent-teacher associations. As of August 31, 6 515 citizens have been appointed as FSDCER under this scheme.

     The Government has also made full use of various channels, including TV Announcements in the Public Interest and social media platforms, to remind members of the public not to engage in wind-chasing and wave-watching activities during adverse weather conditions, emphasising that such acts not only endanger their personal safety but may also contravene the relevant legislation, and appealing to the public to stay vigilant and work together to safeguard public safety.

     The Government will continue to step up law enforcement and collaborate with schools and community organisations to enhance publicity efforts, aiming to curb the wind-chasing and wave-watching behaviours under adverse weather conditions at source and safeguard overall public safety.

Ends/Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Issued at HKT 17:25

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