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Co-operation does exist between the Urban Council/Urban Services Department and the Police in regard to hawker matters, but the degree does vary from district to district.
The Police are involved in the hawking scene in the following general ways---- (i) the maintenance of law and order. In this regard, the Police are committed to enforce the criminal law and would investigate and prosecute, where there is evidence, unlawful elements who criminally exploited or victimized hawkers; and (ii) the Police also committed with respect to criminal activities on the part of hawkers, including any offer of violence to public officers in the execution of their duties.
The Police say that any greater involvement on their part in the physical, day-to-day, routine control of hawkers would be detrimental to the performance of their other constabulary duties.
However, since 1978, under an inter-departmental agreement, hawker control has been shared with the Police on a geographical basis. Under this arrangement there are at present 23 streets on Hong Kong Island and 50 streets in Kowloon which are the responsibility of the Police.
The Police have also co-operated in some districts, by agreeing to the setting-up of Hawker Handling Centres in Police Stations, to speed-up the processing of hawker arrest cases. The Council would like to see these facilities available in all districts, but unfortunately it has not been possible to achieve this so far.
Finally, the Police will provide a Police escort for General Duties Teams, on request, if violence is anticipated, and from time to time joint raiding operations are mounted against illegal hawker black spots by both the USD and the Police. The Commissioner of Police has recently given assurances of his co-operation. The Urban Council and the Urban Services Department have been happy to receive these assurances because it had become evident that in certain districts individual Police Commanders have been implementing the agreement with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Turning to the second question, the secondment of a specific number of Police Officers to the Urban Services Department to work closely with the General Duties Teams has been proposed from several quarters. This has been pursued by the DUS, and the possibility has been discussed at a high level within Government. I am pleased to report that agreement in principle has now been reached for the secondment to the Department of a senior Police Officer.
The changing characteristics of the hawker population and the involvement of triads and criminal gangs in hawker protection rackets has made the stiffening of a uniformed Police presence with the GDT appear to be very desirable. An approach has therefore been made to the Commissioner of Police, who has suggested that initially a critical examination of the problem should be carried out.
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It is proposed that this Police Officer be seconded to the USD to advise on: short-term improvements; liaison with the Police; and GDT tactics, strategy and training. He will also be able to see and hear at first hand the departmental experiences which lead us to believe that there is widespread triad involvement in the general hawker activity.
As I have said, the Commissioner of Police has agreed in principle to this proposal and we now look forward to this secondment as soon as the Commissioner is able to make the necessary suitable, experienced officer available.
THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN (in Cantonese):—A supplementary question. When will the senior Police Officer be seconded to the USD?
MR. LEE (in Cantonese):-We do not know the exact date yet. However, I think it has to do with our Consultative Paper on hawker policy. We are now collecting and collating the opinions received. At this point, we are still discussing the most suitable time for the officer to be seconded. Of course, we want this to be done as soon as possible.
3. THE HONOURABLE HILTON CHEONG-LEEN asked the following question (in Cantonese): What support has the Urban Council given in the past to the Festival for the Elderly which has been held on every third Sunday of November for the last seven years, and will the Council be prepared to give even more support to this Festival this year?
MR. HOWARD H. W. YOUNG, CHAIRMAN OF THE RECREATION SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-This question asks:-
'What support has the Urban Council given in the past to the Festival for the Elderly which has been held on every third Sunday of November for the last seven years and will the Council be prepared to give even more support to this Festival this year?'
The Festival for the Elderly is an annual community education project initiated by the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and supported by charitable and other organizations.
In the past only limited support has been requested from the Urban Council. But all requests have been met in full and assistance rendered in the past has included, permitting the use of playgrounds for Festival activities, the staging of a Cantonese opera show and technical assistance in organizing recreational activities.
With regard to the future, I feel sure that Council would wish to respond sympathetically and positively to any request from the Council of Social Service once the latter has decided on its programme.
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