XN000022-1983-06-05 — Page 3

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SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 1983

OF THE $1.5 MILLION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT WORK, WHICH REPRESENTS A 15 PER CENT INCREASE OVER LAST YEAR'S SPENDING, $800 000 WILL BE USED FOR REPLACING EQUIPMENT AND FACILITIES AT 18 VILLAGE PLAYGROUNDS.

RENOVATION WORK ON THESE FACILITIES HAD ALREADY STARTED AND WOULD BE COMPLETED IN OCTOBER THIS YEAR, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE DISTRICT BOARD SAID.

OTHER MAJOR PROJECTS WOULD BE THE CONSTRUCTION OF SITTING-OUT AREAS AT SANG SANG TSUEN, SHA CHAU LEI, YEUNG UK TSUEN AND FAN TIN TSUEN, COSTING $450 000, HE ADDED.

THE REMAINING $250 000 WOULD BE USED TO IMPROVE EXISTING DISTRICT BOARD SITTING-OUT AREAS IN AND OUTSIDE YUEN LONG TOWN, HE SAID.

COMPUTER FOR TRACKING DOWN HABITUAL LITTERBUGS

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LITTERBUGS HAD BETTER WATCH OUT AS THE COMPUTER WILL SEEK OUT HABITUAL OFFENDERS WHO WILL BE DEALT WITH STERNLY.

SINCE THE COMPUTERISATION OF LITTERING OFFENCE RECORDS IN SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR, MORE THAN 400 HABITUAL OFFENDERS HAVE BEEN TRACKED DOWN, SAID THE STAFF OFFICER (CLEANSING) OF THE CITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT, MR KONG BOK-YIN.

+ABOUT 55 000 CASES WERE BROUGHT BEFORE THE ANTI-LITTER COURTS LAST YEAR, RESULTING IN MORE THAN $6.4 MILLION IN FINES, HE ADDED.

ANTI-LITTER COURTS NOW DEAL WITH AN AVERAGE OF 4 600 CASES A

MONTH.

BEFORE THE USE OF A COMPUTER, HE SAID, IT WAS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TRACE REPEAT OFFENDERS AS RECORDS WERE KEPT MANUALLY, WITH THE RESULT THAT ALMOST ALL LITTERBUGS WERE TREATED AS FIRST OFFENDERS.

+HOWEVER, LITTER OFFENCE RECORDS ARE NOW STORED IN A COMPUTER AND AT THE PUSH OF THE BUTTON, PARTICULARS OF AN OFFENDER CAN BE MADE AVAILABLE TO THE COURT BEFORE EACH HEARING, MR KONG SAID.

+IN FACT, THE COMPUTER HAS IN ITS RECORD THE NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE COMMITTED LITTERING AS MANY AS FIVE TIMES, HE SAID.

THE MAXIMUM PENALTY FOR LITTERING IS A FINE OF $5 000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR SIX MONTHS,

IT IS BELIEVED THAT HEAVIER FINES WILL MAKE PEOPLE THINK TWICE BEFORE COMMITTING ANY LITTERING OFFENCE.

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