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to concentrate its control efforts on the secondary transport of meat from retail outlet to retail outlet, where vans are used which are not subject to regular inspection at the abattoirs.
MRS. CHOW CHEUNG WAI-PING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I asked a question in connection with roasted meat and other kinds of meat last year. It appears that the situation has not changed. Although prosecution action has been taken, the unhygienic situation is still very serious. The answer to the question has not given any effective measures. Is there any difficulty or embarrassment involved or are there any effective measures being contemplated?
MR. L. H. KWAN (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, in my reply I listed a number of blitz actions and prosecution actions taken in April and May. As part of a dual approach, there is also an education programme including advisory letters to the licensees in the trade. As to an escalation of the action to be taken, we will definitely pay attention to the unhygienic situation.
6. MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN asked the following question (in Chinese):—When the General Duties Team raids illegal hawkers, conflicts always occur and sometimes cause injuries to pedestrians. Are the conflicts due to the rudeness and violence of GDT?
If yes, how can we improve it without affecting law enforcement action?
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET, CHAIRMAN OF THE MARKETS AND STREET TRADERS SELECT COMMITTEE, replied as follows (in Cantonese):-The question asks about conflicts between General Duties Team staff and hawkers and whether these are due to rudeness and violence by the GDT.
The conflicts between GDTs and illegal hawkers occur mainly because the hawkers invariably try to get away from the GDT. The successful arrest and conviction of an illegal hawker will mean the confiscation of his goods and equipment in addition to the fine imposed by the magistrate and very few hawkers are tame enough to willingly follow the GDT staff to the Police Station to be charged. Most hawkers will attempt to bargain, wriggle out of the situation, and some would even physically resist arrest.
To successfully make an arrest, GDT staff have to exercise a great deal of patience and self-restraint in order to carry out the job without being violent or causing unpleasant incidents.
The GDT make about 9,000 hawker arrests every month, and the average number of reported conflicts in the past six months is less than 15 per month. This shows that, by-and-large, the GDT behave properly in executing their difficult and thankless tasks and do not cause conflicts by being rude or violent to hawkers. Of course, the Department would investigate every complaint if there is any concrete information available.
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MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, I understand staff members of GDT are taught judo during their training. Is it for self-defence or the arrest of the hawkers? If it is for the latter, it is said that most of the GDT members behave properly. In other words, some do not behave properly. So will they make use of the judo to arrest the hawkers resulting in violence?
CHAIRMAN (in English):—You don't have to answer that question as it is highly hypothetical. However, if you wish, you could do so.
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, I would like to give further figures to substantiate what I have said. In the past two years, since I joined the Markets and Street Traders Select Committee, the GDTs have instituted about 200,000 prosecutions and there were only two cases in which the court gave verdict to the GDT members who were convicted during the course of arrest of hawkers. Two cases out of two hundred thousand prosecutions are self-explanatory. Also, for the judo learned by the GDTs, this is to let them have a greater degree of patience. The fact that they learn judo doesn't mean that they have to use that for violence. I understand that Dr. Philip Kwok is a judo expert, but I have never heard of his exercising this in violence.
CHAIRMAN (in English):-Would you like to ask him the purpose of learning judo? To deal with his fellow Councillors?
MR. STEPHEN M. L. LAU (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, we all understand that many illegal hawkers who sell food on their vans have scissors and choppers. What measures are provided for the safeguard of the GDT members if the hawkers use weapons to attack them?
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese):---Mr. Chairman, we provide training for the GDT members so that they can exercise self-defence.
MR. JOSEPH Y. S. CHAN (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, once I have held a meeting with a few hundred hawkers who said that when the GDT members carried out their duties, they always used foul language to shout at them. I wonder if foul language could be considered as rude manners? When we train the GDT members, will we deal with this aspect as well?
MR. LEE CHIK-YUET (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, of course, self-discipline is always emphasized during the training. The GDT members perform a thankless task. If they have to confront hawkers with weapons, then the situation is quite dangerous. As regards foul language, I think this is a matter of impoliteness. I think GDT members should not behave this way. In the training course, we emphasize that violence and foul language should not be used during the arrest of hawkers. Minimum force should be used in carrying out their duties.
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