MTR staff to film conflicts at Sheung Shui station in bid to boost safety
Hong Kong railway staff will use wearable video technology when conflicts arise at a busy station near the border with mainland China to see if capturing arguments on film can improve safety.
Hong Kong railway staff will use wearable video technology to record any angry clashes at a busy border station in a bid to improve the safety of passengers and workers.
Three clip-on video cameras will be introduced under a six-month trial at the Sheung Shui MTR station on Monday.
The station is often crowded with local and cross-border commuters, many carrying bulky luggage, as well as parallel-goods traders who buy their stock tax-free in Hong Kong to resell on the mainland at a profit.
The station has witnessed scuffles between traders and local residents, who say the importers push up retail prices and cause a general nuisance.
Staff from the MTR's by-laws inspection unit will clip the cameras onto their shirts but will be required to tell passengers they are being filmed.
"We understand the public will have concerns over privacy," said Allen Ding Ka-chun, MTR operations manager for the East Rail and Ma On Shan lines. "We will ensure the use of the cameras complies with privacy regulations. Only authorised people will have access to the videos."
Unit commander Wong Sing-kan said that disputes on the railway were common, sometimes ending up in police reports.
He hoped the presence of cameras would help prevent clashes as passengers might restrain themselves if they knew they were being filmed. Wong said staff would not film minor incidents, such as passengers using foul language, but would record more serious conflicts.
"There have been cases in which commuters fought, sometimes sparked by minor things like arguing over a seat," he said.
Videos will be erased within 28 days if there is no need to retain them, but the MTR did not rule out providing footage to the police to assist in investigations.
Sheung Shui resident Hui Kwok-wah, 60, welcomed the new measure as a deterrent to unruly behaviour.
"Too many people come here whose habits are different from Hongkongers," he said. "There are often people jumping the queues at entrance gates in Sheung Shui and Lo Wu, sometimes angering other passengers and triggering disputes."
Paul Leung, 33, a tourist from Shenzhen, said he travels on the East Rail Line when visiting the city and had not seen any major clashes between passengers.
He said he did not mind the presence of cameras as "it is just there to resolve problems".
