ENG-1992 — Page 188

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HEALTH

hawker licences to itinerant hawkers, whose trading activities cause serious obstruction to pedestrians and vehicular traffic in highly built-up urban areas.

Control over hawking is maintained by the two municipal services departments through the deployment of general duties teams. These are civilian staff trained in law enforcement duties and number 2 700. During the year, they secured 117 000 court convictions for hawking offences.

Restructuring of the general duties teams in the New Territories was completed during the year. Besides strengthening their capability to make arrests, all squads were equipped with radio transceivers and an additional vehicle to enhance their efficiency. Furthermore, eight special squads were set up under two sub-regional commands to reinforce district- based operations. The Regional Council also formed a working group to examine hawker policies and control strategies against illegal hawking and illegal shop extensions. A computerised hawker offence record system was implemented in April 1992 with which previous conviction records of offenders were computerised and presented to the court for reference and consideration of heavier penalties on recidivists.

Abattoirs

There are two abattoirs in the urban areas and three slaughterhouses in the New Territories, including a new one on Cheung Chau which also serves the nearby islands. With the exception of the Cheung Sha Wan Abattoir which is run by the Urban Council, all the others are managed by licensed private operators. To meet long-term demand, a site has been reserved for a new slaughterhouse in Sheung Shui.

During the year, 2930 000 pigs, 150 000 head of cattle and 15 000 goats were slaughtered, which accounted for about 100 per cent of the local fresh meat supply. To ensure the wholesomeness of their meat, all slaughtered animals were inspected by qualified health inspectors of the two municipal services departments.

The Regional Services Department also kept vigilance against illegal slaughtering to ensure that only wholesome meat is supplied to the market. In the past year, health inspectors carried out 49 raids on suspected illegal slaughterhouses and nine offenders were successfully prosecuted. Staff also carried out spot checks on meat stalls and 10 persons were prosecuted in 1992 for possession of unstamped carcasses for sale.

Cemeteries and Crematoria

It is government policy to encourage cremation rather than burial for the disposal of the dead. During the year, over 73 per cent of the dead were cremated in the territory. Human remains buried in public cemeteries are subject to exhumation after six years when the exhumed remains are either cremated or re-interred in urn cemeteries.

The Urban Council operates one public funeral parlour in Kowloon which provides free funeral services for the needy. Two service halls at the parlour are also opened for public use free of charge.

In the urban area, the Urban Council manages five public cemeteries and two public crematoria, and monitors 18 private cemeteries. There are also two war cemeteries under the management of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

The Regional Council manages six public cemeteries and four public crematoria in the New Territories. It also oversees the operation of nine private cemeteries and six private