XN000022-1982-01-04 — Page 6

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EYE IN THE SKY

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MONDAY, JANUARY 4, 1982

THERE'S NO ESCAPE FOR THE VAGABOND ISLANDS OF RUBBISH IN HONG KONG'S HARBOUR NOW THAT THE EYES OF THE CLEAN HONG KONG CAMPAIGN HAVE TAKEN TO THE SKY.

HELICOPTER 'LAP SAP' PATROLS HAVE BECOME A ROUTINE MARINE DEPARTMENT FUNCTION, AND FROM AN OLYMPIAN 500 FEET UP, ABOARD AN RHKAAF DAUPHIN CHOPPER, MARINE OFFICER TREVOR BERRY CAN SPOT EVEN THE MOST FURTIVE WATER-BORNE LITTER.

+IT'S MARVELOUS,+ SAID MR BERRY, +ALL FLOATING REFUSE IS VISIBLE - EVEN SOLITARY PLASTIC BAGS.+

AND FLYING AT 90 KNOTS, THE HELICOPTER CAN MAKE A CIRCULAR TRIP VIA GREEN ISLAND, ME! FOO SUN CHUEN, STAR FERRY, KWUN TONG AND ALDRICH BAY IN ABOUT 12 MINUTES.

COVERING THE SAME AREA BY BOAT TAKES TWO HOURS AND VISIBILITY IS LIMITED TO THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY OF THE BOAT.

BUT WITH THE HELICOPTER, MR BERRY CAN GET AN IMMEDIATE UP-TO-DATE PICTURE OF THE HARBOUR, ESTABLISH PRIORITIES AND SEND OUT UNITS ACCORDINGLY,

+FOR THE FIRST TIME WE CAN GET AN OVERALL VIEW BEFORE WE START WORK.+

POTENTIAL TROUBLEMAKERS TOO ARE NAKED TO MR BERRY'S ALL-SEEING EYES, AND RECENTLY HE SPOTTED A SHIP AT ANCHOR WITH A LARGE PILE OF REFUSE ON ITS DECK.

+I SENT ONE OF MY LADS TO THE SHIP TO MAKE SURE THE RUBBISH WASN'T DUMPED IN THE HARBOUR.+

AS SOON AS THE DAUPHIN TOUCHES DOWN, A REPORT IS SENT TO MR BERRY'S SENIOR ASSISTANT MARINE INSPECTOR DAVID LEUNG AT MARINE DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS.

MR LEUNG PLOTS THE LOCATION OF FLOATING RUBBISH ON A CIVIL AVIATION URBAN CRASH MAP GRID SUPPLIED BY THE CIVIL AVIATION DEPARTMENT, AND DISPATCHES CLEAN-UP VESSELS TO TROUBLE SPOTS.

A TYPICALLY CRYPTIC DISPATCH WOULD READ +SEND WATERWITCH

3 TO G13.+

FOR THE BENEFIT OF THOSE ON DRY LAND AND EARTH-BOUND, WATERWITCH 3 IS A MARINE REFUSE COLLECTION VESSEL AND G13 IS THE CENTRAL DISTRICT.

PILOTED BY FLIGHT LIEUTENANT JAMES CURTIS, THE HELICOPTER LIFT OFF FROM HMS TAMAR EVERY MONDAY, WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY.

/+OBVIOUSLY,