Residents of Mong Kok have every reason to be paranoid. In a span of six months, the district experienced two separate incidents in which corrosive liquid was hurled at the public from a building. Seventy-six pedestrians were injured, all because they were at the wrong place at the wrong time.
In response, closed-circuit television cameras (CCTV) will be installed in the area. They are expected to help prevent similar incidents and catch those responsible for the crimes.
But Hong Kong citizens are largely opposed to electronic monitoring. In 2002, a proposal to install CCTV in Lan Kwai Fong was withdrawn due to public opposition. 'Since then, the police's stance has been very hands off,' said Mark Medwecki, superintendent of Hong Kong police.
The Yau Tsim Mong District Office and Council will instead drive the CCTV initiative. In January they received approval for an installation budget of HK$400,000, but have plans to run up the taxpayer tab some more.
Installing CCTV can be expensive.
'If all the bells and whistles are added, per-camera costs for outdoor, day/night units can easily approach US$9,800 per position and up to US$60,000 for very specialised capabilities,' said Kam Wong, chairman of the department of criminal justice at Xavier University Ohio in the United States and former police inspector. While CCTV can record in a location around-the-clock, it is still limited in its scope. Cameras are susceptible to blind spots and malfunctions - not to mention the maintenance needed to sustain each unit.
Even if a city can afford hi-tech cameras, the effectiveness of CCTV is still inconclusive. In a 2005 study released by the UK Home Office, only six of the 13 CCTV projects studied had seen a drastic reduction in crime.