Illegal hawking had once been a headache for residents of Tai On Building. Twenty or so illegal hawkers gathered there daily to sell cooked food. But that finally came to an end in early February, when uniformed officers from Eastern District, supported by the District Anti-Triad Squad (DATS) and Police Community Relations Office, took part in a joint hawker clearance operation.

The Incorporated Owners of Tai On Building Chairman, Mr Chan Yick-keung, sent a letter of appreciation to the Eastern District Commander, praising the efforts of the Police, the DATS in particular, for their devotion to duty, which contributed to the success of the joint operation.

In an interview with OffBeat, Mr Chan said: "In the past, the lobby of the building was full of smoke from the operation of the cooked food hawkers. It was even difficult to walk through the shopping mall in the building and the owners of stalls there were so afraid of triads that they dared not complain about it.

"Now, the situation has become much better. Residents are very happy with the improvement.

"We have been maintaining close contacts with the Police. When we encounter problems, we seek help from Eastern Police District and it always arrives promptly," Mr Chan said.

Elsewhere in the district, Chai Wan Division also received a thank you letter. Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD)'s Senior Fisheries Officer (Fisheries Supporting Services), Mr Joseph Sham, sent a letter to the Divisional Commander, Mr Mark Medwecki, expressing his sincere thanks for the valuable support and assistance of his officers in combating illegal marine fish marketing activities near Shau Kei Wan Wholesale Fish Market.

Mr Sham told OffBeat: "On the morning of October 29, a man was arrested for the illegal landing of marine fish near the Tam Kung Temple pier in Shau Kei Wan in a joint operation conducted by the AFCD and the Police.

"Upon being challenged, the man became emotional and attracted a large number of onlookers. He even shook his fist at one of our staff. But, the Police acted swiftly and arrested the man, bringing the situation under control. All of them deserve my praise," he added.

Hawker-free mall in Tai On Building