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reply only refers to prosecutions made by the Department. The figure will be much higher if the figures of other Government Departments are included.
Mr. Wu Chi-wai (in Cantonese):—I have one more question. If we have some 500 officers in the Cleansing Section to take action against litter offences and there are some 26,000 prosecutions per year, then according to a rough estimation, one officer would have taken about 50 prosecution actions against offences. As seen from the figures, the work done is out of proportion to the demand. May I ask whether 50 prosecutions per year per officer is an appropriate indicator of work?
MR. CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese):-The cleansing officers are not engaged exclusively in booking litterbugs. They have other duties to do. It's just that they are also authorized to take up prosecution action. As for the question whether the prosecution figures are proportional to the work demand, Mr. Chairman, I am unable to make an assessment. May I ask Mr. Wu, what is the proportional prosecution figure in his view?
MR. HUNG CHUNG-FUN (in Cantonese): Has the Department done any statistical analysis on the numerous prosecution cases in terms of age and sex of the offenders? There is a general impression that only weaklings such as the elderlies or housewives would be prosecuted, while those who are physically strong and energetic like students, youngsters or the middle-aged males are rarely prosecuted, or in general circumstances, staff of the Department do not dare to take prosecution action against them. In view of this, can the Department step up prosecution against youngsters and especially middle-aged males basing on the prosecution pattern obtained from the analysis. This is the first question.
The second question is, there is in fact another kind of litter offenders who dump bulky garbage around wantonly, such as bags of debris, toilet bowl, washing basins or even bath tub. Would there be more severe penalties for such offenders?
MR. CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): The Department's computer system is capable of such analysis, breaking down the offenders by age and sex. But I don't have the information at hand. According to the information I got in the past as member of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee, Departmental staff sometimes were unable to prosecute young offenders on the spot. Maybe they are more law-abiding in general. Another possible reason is that they can run faster so the prosecution officers are unable to catch them.
Mr. Chairman, I can assure you that there is no age discrimination whatsoever. If Members wish to have the analytical data, these can be provided after the meeting.
As for wanton dumping of garbage, the action taken depends on where the garbage is dumped. For dumpings on Crown lands, prosecution action should be taken by the Lands Department. For dumpings in Urban Council venues, the Department will definitely take prosecution action.
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Page 203 of 485
• ΟΙ 485
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reply only refers to prosecutions made by the Department. The figure will be much higher if the figures of other Government Departments are included.
Mr. Wu Chi-wal (in Cantonese):—I have one more question. If we have some 500 officers in the Cleansing Section to take action against litter offences and there are some 26 000 prosecutions per year, then according to a rough estimation, one officer would have taken about 50 prosecution action against offences. As seen from the figures, the work done is out of proportion to the demand. May I ask whether 50 prosecutions per year per officer is an appropriate indicator of work?
MR. CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese):-The cleansing officers are not engaged exclusively in booking litterbugs. They have other duties to do. It's just that they are also authorized to take up prosecution action. As for the question whether the prosecution figures are proportional to the work demand. Mr. Chairman, I am unable to make an assessment. May I ask Mr. Wu, what is the proportional prosecution figure in his view?
MR. HUNG CHUNG-FUN (in Cantonese): Has the Department done ану statistical analysis on the numerous prosecution cases in terms of age and sex of the offenders? There is a general impression that only weaklings such as the elderlies or housewives would be prosecuted, while those who are physically strong and energetic like students, youngsters or the middle-aged males are rarely prosecuted, or in general circumstances, staff of the Department do not dare to take prosecution action against them. In veiw of this, can the Department step up prosecution against youngsters and especially middle-aged males basing on the prosecution pattern obtained from the analysis. This is the first question.
The second question is, there is in fact another kind of litter offenders who dump bulky garbage around wantonly, such as bags of debris, toilet bowl, washing basins or even bath tub. Would there be more severe penalties for such offenders?
MR. CHAN YUEK-SUT (in Cantonese): The Department's computer system is capable of such analysis, breaking down the offenders by age and sex. But I don't have the information at hand. According to the information I got in the past as member of the Keep Hong Kong Clean Committee, Departmental staff sometimes were unable to prosecute young offenders on the spot. May be they are more law- abiding in general. Another possible reason is that they can run faster so the prosecution officers are unable to catch them.
Mr. Chairman, I can assure you that there is no age discrimination whatsoever. If Members wish to have the analytical data, these can be provided after the meeting.
As for wanton dumping of garbage, the action taken depends on where the garbage is dumped. For dumpings on Crown lands, prosecution action should be laken by the Lands Department. For dumpings in Urban Council venues, the Department will definitely take prosecution action.
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