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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
--protection of UC markets and the viability;
-enforcement action against illegal cooked food hawkers; -avoidance of obstruction caused by hawking activities, and --control of hawker blackspots.
Two basic tactical modes are adopted in deploying the Department's General Duties Teams. The first is the static patrol mode whereby teams are permanently stationed at key locations, such as new markets, for extended hours of the day to deter any illegal hawking in the immediate vicinity. The second mode is the raiding tactic whereby teams move from one location to another throughout their daily shift, tackling hawker blackspots, etc, during prime trading hours with the aims of dispersing or arresting any hawkers found congregating at each of the locations.
Static patrol is usually a very effective deterrent, because the area under coverage is relatively small it is extremely man-power intensive. The tactic of irregular raiding of hawker blackspots to disperse and arrest unlicensed hawkers permits much greater coverage, but the deterrent effect can be relatively short-lived unless often repeated.
Joint USD/Police operations are also mounted, especially late at night when violent resistance by illegal hawkers is more prevalent. The frequency of these joint operations varies between districts, depending on the resources available, the ground situation and relative hawker control priorities. Other special operations are periodically launched, such as those which have been mounted against fast food operators hawking illegally from vehicles in the Kwun Tong industrial area.
The Department actively enlists the co-operation of other departments, for example, the Housing Department, which has been regularly involved in joint operations on the periphery of public housing estates.
Over the past year, a total of 64,500 convictions were recorded against unlicensed hawkers and approximately 8,600 convictions were recorded against illegal cooked food hawkers alone. Some 26 fast food vans were seized and confiscated during the period.
In spite of the considerable progress which has been made in reducing the scale of the problem, there is no disguising the fact that hawker blackspots remain and that greater success has been achieved in some respects than in others. A number of Members have recently voiced their concern in the Annual Debate over illegal cooked food hawkers hawking late at night. This issue will be shortly examined in detail by our Working Group to Review Hawker and Related Policies, chaired by Dr. Tu.
The third part of the question asks whether there are any measures aimed at reducing significantly the number of on-street unlicensed hawkers.
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HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
Illegal hawkers constitute a long-standing problem for which there is no instant and easy solution. The Council needs the full and sustained support of Government, the District Boards as well as from the general public in tackling this issue. Let us not forget that it takes two parties to conduct illegal street trading, i.e. the unlicensed hawker and the customer.
In recent years, the Department has introduced various measures to enhance hawker control efficiency. These include the flexible adjustment of the working hours and shift pattern of GDT squads where appropriate; the introduction and implementation of the legal requirement for licensed hawkers to wear licence badges to enable easy identification by enforcement staff as well as the general public; computerization of hawker conviction records for the reference of the Court prior to sentencing; strengthening of the GDT formation to enhance enforcement capability; legislative amendments to raise the maximum penalties for hawking offenses, use of portable radio communication equipment to enhance operational mobility; improved training for hawker control staff etc.
The Department will continue to employ its concerted efforts and to develop new approaches, wherever feasible. How quickly it will be possible to go in further reducing the illegal hawking problem, however, also depends on a number of imponderables such as public support, the economic climate, etc. Nevertheless, whilst much remains to be done, I believe that we are generally moving in the right direction and that further significant progress should be, and indeed, is, an achievable goal.
MR. MA LEE-WO (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as Mr. CHAN has pointed out that there are two parties involved in illegal hawking, the customers and illegal hawkers. Concerning the customers, I would like to know what is being done by the Council in this regard?
MR. CHAN TAK-CHOR (in Cantonese): Concerning the customers, I think Mr. Ma is right in saying that the Council should co-operate and enhance co-operation with various Government departments. To step up civic education, I think we have to enlist the co-operation and support of Education Department. In this Council, the newly established Health Education Sub-committee will pay attention to this aspect. I am sure members can watch on TV that we have an API asking members of public not to patronise illegal hawkers because they are lacking the monitoring of hygiene standards. I think education is very important in this regard.
THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, with regard to the headcount by the Department, according to the figures over the past six years, the decline has been over halved. Concerning the headcount, are they carried out in the day time or the night time and how reliable are the figures? The second question concerns priority of enforcement actions against illegal cooked food hawkers which ranks second. But we believe that in many districts especially Kwun Tong, the illegal cooked food hawker problem has become very serious and is getting
Page 107 of 126
Page 107 of 126
Page 107 of 126
270
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
--protection of UC markets and the viability;
-enforcement action against illegal cooked food hawkers; -avoidance of obstruction caused by hawking activities, and --control of hawker blackspots.
Two basic tactical modes are adopted in deploying the Department's General Duties Teams. The first is the static patrol mode whereby teams are permanently stationed at key locations, such as new markets, for extended hours of the day to deter any illegal hawking in the immediate vicinity. The second mode is the raiding tactic whereby teams move from one location to another throughout their daily shift, tackling hawker blackspots, etc, during prime trading hours`with the aims of dispersing or arresting any hawkers found congregating at each of the locations.
Static patrol is usually a very effective deterrent, because the area under coverage is relatively small it is extremely man-power intensive. The tactic of irregular raiding of hawker blackspots to disperse and arrest unlicensed hawkers permits much greater coverage, but the deterrent effect can be relatively short-lived unless often repeated.
Joint USD/Police operations are also mounted, especially late at night when violent resistance by illegal hawkers is more prevalent. The frequency of these joint operations varies between districts, depending on the resources available, the ground situation and relative hawker control priorities. Other special operations are periodically launched, such as those which have been mounted against fast food operators hawking illegally from vehicles in the Kwun Tong industrial area.
The Department actively enlists the co-operation of other departments, for example, the Housing Department, which has been regularly involved in joint operations on the periphery of public housing estates.
Over the past year, a total of 64 500 convictions were recorded against unlicensed hawkers and approximately 8 600 convictions were recorded against illegal cooked food hawkers along. Some 26 fast food vans were seized and confiscated during the period.
In spite of the considerable progress which has been made in reducing the scale of the problem, there is no disguising the fact that hawker blackspots remain and that greater success has been achieved in some respects than in others. A number of Members have recently voiced their concern in the Annual Debate over illegal cooked food hawkers hawking late at night. This issue will be shortly examined in detail by our Working Group to Review Hawker and Related Policies, chaired by Dr. Tu.
The third part of the question asks whether there are any measures aimed at reducing significantly the number of on-street unlicensed hawkers.
Page 107 of 126
ין
HONG KONG URBAN COUNCIL
271
Illegal hawkers constitute a long-standing problem for which there is no instant and easy solution. The Council needs the full and sustained support of Government, the District Boards as well as from the general public in tackling this issue. Let us not forget that it takes two parties to conduct illegal street trading, i.e. the unlicensed hawker and the customer.
In recent years, the Department has introduced various measures to enhance hawker control efficiency. These include the flexible adjustment of the working hours and shift pattern of GDT squads where appropriate; the introduction and implementation of the legal requirement for licensed hawkers to wear licence badges to enable easy identification by enforcement staff as well as the general public; computerization of hawker conviction records for the reference of the Court prior to sentencing; strengthening of the GDT formation to enhance enforcement capability; legislative amendments to raise the maximum penalties for hawking offenses, use of portable radio communication equipment to enhance operational mobility; improved training for hawker control staff etc.
The Department will continue to employ its concerted efforts and to develop new approaches, wherever feasible. How quickly it will be possible to go in further reducing the illegal hawking problem, however, also depends on a number of imponderables such as public support, the economic climate, etc. Nevertheless, whilst much remains to be done, I believe that we are generally moving in the right direction and that further significant progress should be, and indeed, is, an achievable goal.
MR. MA LEE-WO (in Cantonese):-Mr. Chairman, as Mr. CHAN has pointed out that there are two parties involved in illegal hawking, the customers and illegal hawkers. Concerning the customers, I would like to know what is being done by the Council in this regard?
MR. CHAN TAK-CHOR (in Cantonese): Concerning the customers, I think Mr. Ma is right in saying that the Council should co-operate and enhance co-operation with various Government departments. To step up civic education, I think we have to enlist the co-operation and support of Education Department. In this Council, the newly established Health Education Sub- committee will pay attention to this aspect. I am sure members can watch on TV that we have an API asking members of public not to patronise illegal hawkers because they are lacking the monitoring of hygiene standards. I think education is very important in this regard.
THE HON. LI WAH-MING (in Cantonese):—Mr. Chairman, with regard to the headcount by the Department, according to the figures over the past six years, the decline has been over halved. Concerning the headcount, are they carried out in the day time or the night time and how reliable are the figures? The second question concerns priority of enforcement actions against illegal cooked food hawkers which ranks second. But we believe that in many districts especially Kwun Tong, the illegal cooked food hawker problem has become very serious and is getting
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