Tsuen Wan District (TWDIST) has made a dent in the problem of street gambling by enlisting the support and assistance of government departments and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

Since an Inter-departmental Working Group was formed in April last year, TWDIST has been working closely with the Housing Department (HD), Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), Social Welfare Department, Caritas Anti-gambling Counselling Centre and Hong Kong Society for the Aged in thrashing out strategies to tackle street gambling.

Chairing the working group is Deputy District Commander Cheng Kwok-hung. Representatives from the other stakeholders, Assistant District Commander Eugene Yue, District Operations Officer Liu Shing-bun, Police Community Relations Officer Cheng Law Cheuk-kwan, Officer-in-charge of Special Duty Squad Kwok Hiu-kwan and other officers are also sitting on the working group.

TWDIST took the initiative to establish the working group because street gambling poses more than a policing problem when gamblers, particularly senior citizens, litter, smoke or urinate at the open space in housing estates or parks, giving rise to complaints by residents in the neigbourhood.

TWDIST also realises that, besides enforcement action, addressing street gambling also calls for public education to remind senior citizens that gambling is not a wholesome pastime.

Since establishment of the working group, both enforcement action and public education have been stepped up.

TWDIST has been stepping up enforcement action at various black spots. Between April last year and May this year, about 300 persons, aged between 45 and 75, were arrested for street gambling-related offences. They were fined $300 to $1,200 by court afterwards.

On top of this action, TWDIST also mounted joint operations with HD and LCSD, during which gambling paraphernalia was seized and fixed penalty tickets were issued by the two departments to gamblers for littering, urinating or smoking at public areas.

In the fields of prevention and public education, TWDIST, HD, LCSD and NGOs jointly conducted 13 education activities at street gambling black spots to distribute anti-gambling leaflets. NGO volunteer workers also promoted the recreational facilities and activities available to senior citizens.

Anti-street gambling messages were also disseminated through banners and signage put up at street gambling black spots.

All these initiatives have proved effective and brought other improvements as well.

For example, the number of public complaints against street gambling in Tsuen Wan District dropped by 54 per cent from 24 in the third quarter of 2006 to 11 in the first quarter of 2007. At the same time, HD and LCSD staff have improved the environment of the places under their management by carrying out renovation works at gambling black spots, such as cutting trees and modifying benches and flowerbeds, etc. These measures have not only removed shelters for gambling activities, but also reduced the hygienic problems and other nuisances caused by street gamblers.

Following the Inter-departmental Working Group's regular meeting on July 17, District Commander David Cartwright hosted a tea party for the working group members and presented letters of appreciation as a token of thanks for their contributions.

"During continuous joint-departmental operations, not only can we deliver a clear anti-gambling message to the public, but also demonstrate our determination to fight street gambling. In fact, the street gambling problem in public housing estates in Tsuen Wan has been addressed effectively," said Mr Tee Yoon-loong, Housing Manager (Tsuen Wan) of HD.

"It's obvious that through Police and LCSD's initiatives in respect of on-site educational publicity, improvement to facilities and police operations, the number of gambling activities at the parks under our management has been reduced," said Mr Yeung Chung-man, District Leisure Manager (Tsuen Wan) of LCSD.

Mrs Li Yau Shuk-fong, Community Service Officer of the Hong Kong Society for the Aged, pointed out that the senior citizens who had volunteered to help anti-street gambling publicity would continue to render support to the police for this meaningful activity.

Mr Cartwright emphasised that police would continue to adopt a multi-agency approach in tackling the problems of street gambling. Noting that the joint effort by government departments and NGOs was most encouraging, he said new initiatives would be explored to further minimise the impact of the problems.

Tsuen Wan District Commander David Cartwright greatly appreciates the Inter-departmental Working Group's initiatives