Legislators fear the number of prosecutions for minor offences will slowly drop off
The hygiene points system for public estates will fail if those responsible for enforcing it are too lenient, a legislator warned yesterday.
Legislator Michael Mak Kwok-fung, also deputy chairman of Legco's health services panel, said the government should step up enforcement by ensuring that officers pursued offenders in teams. One of the members should take pictures as evidence. 'This is one way to avoid one-to-one confrontations, when offenders can easily resist prosecution,' Mr Mak said. One way the government could stop people from drying clothes in public areas 'would be [to] simply confiscate the clothes [without approaching the offenders],' he said.
The call for strict enforcement came after Chief Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-kuen announced the hygiene point system as one of the initiatives in the Team Clean project on Thursday.
Points are deducted for 19 types of offences. More serious ones include burning wax in public areas, throwing objects from tall buildings and urinating in public places. Public housing tenants face being evicted if they accrue 16 points in two years. Tenants are encouraged to inform on errant neighbours.
While Mr Mak agreed that the campaign had positive objectives, he was concerned that the number of residents being penalised may drop off in time.
'This can happen with minor offences like placing dripping flower pots on balconies,' he said.