EMPTY flats in public housing estates under redevelopment have become a hotbed of youth vice and violence, social workers claimed.
They said some young people had broken into empty flats, where tenants have moved out under the Government's redevelopment project, to take drugs and have ''casual sex''.
Some youth gangs were also seeking new members and new gathering places in the redeveloped districts to widen their sphere of influence, the social workers added.
They hope the Government can send more policemen to patrol these districts and catch the gangs before they grow.
Many old public housing estates, like Tsz Wan Shan, Kwai Shing, Shek Yam, Shek Lei, Sau Mau Ping and Lam Tin, had facilities that were so outdated that they were put under the redevelopment project.
Outreach social worker Wallace Shiu Ka-chun, who also lives in a redeveloping housing estate - Kwai Shing Estate in Kwai Chung - said the project exposed youth problems in public housing estates.
''Youth gangs are common in these estates because they do not have a gathering place,'' said Mr Shiu.
