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Or email us at offbeat@police.gcn.gov.hk . We will not publish letters sent anonymously. We will withhold names on request. Please include your daytime telephone number. Or email us at offbeat@police.gcn.gov.hk . We will not publish letters sent anonymously. We will withhold names on request. |
Airing views on smoggy subject
A subject which really gets me going and is probably one of the few things I would join a protest over is air pollution. I was therefore interested to see an advert for a group called CLEARTHEAIR. They advertise a web site - http://www.cleartheair.org.hk - and I visited it. Among other things, they suggest emailing the Commissioner and the Assistant Commissioner of Police (Support) about the lack of police action against smoky vehicles.
I remember speaking to ACP SUP on this about a year ago and he explained, if my memory serves me right, it was the Environmental Protection Department's responsibility and Police had given up posts to them for this. I don't know about the politics of all this but I do know the air in HK is affecting the health of my family and I, and I think we as a Force should be doing more. It is certainly a subject we are not vocal on and I as a member have seen little published Force-wide on the subject.
I think a stepped-up campaign on smoky vehicles would be in accordance with our values. It would also support the Government's campaign and earn us tremendous goodwill from a lot of people. I personally feel it is important enough for its own Program Plan in the Force's Programme Management Plan. This would focus action and hopefully help to improve the air.
It may sound like a small contribution but unless everyone does their bit the air quality here will never improve.
S.B. Tarrant
Superintendent, Organised Crime and Triad Bureau
Traffic Branch Headquarters responds . . .
Mr Tarrant's memory is supported by available records. EPD took over the control of smoke emission from vehicles in late 1987, and the Force subsequently disbanded its anti-smoke emission teams and permanently deleted 22 posts in Traffic HK and Kowloon in 1989. Since then, police have acted in a support role which includes both reporting smoky vehicles to EPD and, where there were large amounts of smoke visible, issuing summonses.
Mr Tarrant's concerns are echoed by many, especially front-line Traffic officers. Last year, Regional Traffic acquired 12 sets of portable smoke-testing devices at the request of the Administration and began to conduct operations. From June 1999 to March this year, 23 joint operations with EPD and 393 police-only operations were conducted with 5,167 fixed penalty tickets and 282 summonses being issued. In addition, 15,525 smoky vehicles were reported to EPD during this period. Mr Tarrant can be assured Traffic officers will continue to take vigorous enforcement action against smoky vehicles, their primary and secondary objectives of preventing accidents and maintaining smooth traffic flow permitting.
In support of the Administration's efforts to improve air quality, Traffic HQ is liaising with EPD on ways to increase the number of joint operations by involving officers from District Traffic Teams
Tang How-kong
Chief Superintendent (Traffic)
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