Seventy per cent of old buildings in Mong Kok lack guards and almost one in five have neither metal gates nor guards, a survey shows.
The disclosure follows the theft of a series of metal gates in the district, with the gates pried from buildings to be sold for scrap, which is fuelling security concerns among residents.
The survey, carried out by the Mong Kok District Residence Association, looked at 269 buildings in Mong Kok and Prince Edward.
Only 30 buildings were found to have metal gates and security staff, 187 had gates but no security personnel and 50 had neither.
Wong Kin-san, vice-president of the association, said security awareness was lacking among residents.
'Our investigators carried out the checks in the morning and at night. During daytime, 35 per cent of the metal gates were left open and 20 per cent were left ajar at night,' he said.
'Many of the buildings with neither gates nor security personnel do not have incorporated owners managing the building, due to a lack of resources and interest.
