Hong Kong – FEHD joins force with Police to stringently combat shop front extension at Ngau Chi Wan Village in Wong Tai Sin (with photos)
FEHD joins force with Police to stringently combat shop front extension at Ngau Chi Wan Village in Wong Tai Sin (with photos)
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The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) and the Hong Kong Police Force today (February 29) conducted a joint operation to combat the serious shop front extension problem at Ngau Chi Wan Village in Wong Tai Sin which has persisted for many years. The spokesman for the FEHD said that the operation has achieved certain results as the pavement has resumed obstruction-free. The FEHD and the Police will continue to closely monitor and take stringent enforcement actions in order to eradicate the shop front extension problem in the vicinity.
During the operation, the FEHD issued 11 fixed penalty notices or summonses against obstruction in public places, cleanliness offences as well as contravention of Food Business Regulation. Meanwhile, the FEHD had removed about 2.3 tonnes of goods and miscellaneous articles.
Under the joint enforcement mode, if obstructions in a public place or carriageways were caused by articles illegally extending from shops, the offenders concerned would be prosecuted. Apart from that, the Police would issue warning notice under section 32(1) of the Summary Offences Ordinance (Cap. 228) specifying the time limit for removal of the obstructions (including goods). If the obstructions remain, the FEHD would remove the items and put them in temporary storage.
The spokesman said that with the efforts by the FEHD and the Police, there has been visible improvement in the shop front extension situation across the territory over the past year and more. The spokesman appeals to shop operators to exercise self-discipline in complying with the law, and not to extend business areas illegally.
San Donato Milanese (MI) – WEBWIRE – Friday, August 4, 2023
Eni formalised with its Libyan counterpart NOC the revocation of force majeure status on exploration areas A and B (onshore), and C (offshore), where Eni is the operator with a 42.5% stake, along with BP, 42.5%, and the Libyan Investment Authority with 15%. Force Majeure, declared in 2014, was revoked following the completion by Eni of a Security Risk Assessment to assess the security conditions in the areas where the exploration programme will be carried out; this study yielded positive results. Following the revocation of Force Majeure by the JV, Eni, as operator of the blocks, will be able to resume the contract activities in exploration basins, some of which are located close to Wafas gas facilities. With an 80% share of national production (1.6 Bscf/d in 2022), Eni is the countrys leading gas producer and domestic market supplier. The company has been operating in Libya since 1959 and currently has a large portfolio of assets under exploration, production and development. Production activities are operated through the joint venture company Mellitah Oil and Gas BV (Eni 50%, NOC 50%). Equity production was 165,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day in 2022.
Task Force on District Governance convenes first meeting (with photos)
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The Force wins three top accolades “Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury” at 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (with photos)
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The Force commends outstanding bank staff for helping police combat scams (with photos)
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Eni revokes force majeure status on three exploration assets in Libya
Hong Kong – Task Force on District Governance convenes first meeting (with photos)
The Task Force on District Governance chaired by the Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration (DCS), Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, convened the first meeting today (July 20) to proactively follow up on the implementation of initiatives endorsed by the Steering Committee on District Governance in respect of five key district issues.
Mr Cheuk said, “District governance is inextricably related to people’s livelihood. The Government will endeavour to improve district governance with a view to addressing issues of concerns to the community. I will be fully committed at the Task Force to spearheading and co-ordinating district work, steering departments to implement policy measures and follow up on district issues, such that the Government’s services at the district level can be more effective and targeted in response to the needs of the public.”
The Steering Committee chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration (CS) held the first meeting on July 12 and formulated strategies in relation to five key areas of community interests. The Task Force discussed at the meeting the implementation details and timetable as follows:
(1) Expanding after-school care service and enhancing support for parents
The Social Welfare Department (SWD) will launch the School-based After School Care Service Pilot Scheme in the new school year to allow students in need to stay after school to receive care and learning support. The Education Bureau has started identifying primary schools with more target students (underprivileged/single-parent families) in districts with a higher concentration of subdivided unit households (namely Kowloon City, Yau Tsim Mong, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Kwai Tsing and Tsuen Wan). The target is to commence a one-year programme starting from this September and provide 50 primary schools with a maximum of 3 000 service quotas in total.
(2) Caring for the elderly and enhancing community support
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department will replace and improve existing fitness equipment in various districts, including firstly setting up additional fitness equipment for the elderly in 12 leisure venues in this financial year, increase recreational activities suitable for elderly, and provide umbrellas for loan to the elderly in need on a trial basis in 18 major parks across the territory in the fourth quarter of this year.
The SWD will strengthen its resources and efforts in identifying and caring for elders in need, including identifying hidden elders and carers in need through home visits by the District Services and Community Care Teams (Care Teams) for referral to the SWD and social welfare units for follow-up and support. The target is to launch trials with the Care Teams of Tsuen Wan and Southern Districts by the end of this year.
(3) Fostering clean markets and mobilising the community to participate in anti-rodent work
In addition to stepping up efforts to clear up locations with ongoing irregularities, the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) will improve the environmental hygiene of public markets and cooked food markets on various fronts, including improving the hardware of toilets in about 30 venues and their cleansing services; strengthening inspection and enforcement against irregularities such as shopfront extensions by stalls; and expediting the overhaul of market stalls by utilising “Design for Manufacture and Assembly” and “Modular Integrated Construction” on a trial basis at suitable venues on Hong Kong Island, in Kowloon and the New Territories.
The FEHD will also adopt a multi-pronged approach in enhancing anti-rodent work, including strengthening overnight rodent control teams; active adoption of new rodent detection and control technologies (e.g. artificial intelligence and thermal imaging); joining hands with relevant departments to drive participation by all sectors in anti-rodent work, etc.
(4) Enhancing public order and combatting crimes on all fronts
The Police will further strengthen patrol coverage as well as the work and visibility of enforcement, and step up patrols and installation of closed-circuit television at crime blackspots and crowded hotspots based on risk assessment and district intelligence. The Customs and Excise Department will also intensify its efforts in combatting illicit cigarettes, copyright infringement offences and unfair trade practices, including conducting patrols at popular tourist shopping spots and parallel trading hotspots.
(5) Improving pedestrian facilities and ensuring road safety
The Highways Department will expand the repaving of footpaths, with the target of firstly commencing works on a total of 20 sections of public footpaths by the end of this year. The Transport Department will also install new auxiliary devices with red light beam projections at pedestrian crossing blackspots in various districts, with the target of completing installation at a total of 100 locations by the end of next year.
The above apart, the Task Force also reviewed the experience of displaying publicity materials in celebration of the 26th anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and instructed departments to start preparatory work for making related arrangements to mark the 74th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. The Task Force also received report on the work of the Care Teams and directed Care Teams to enhance co-operation with departments in suitable service areas.
Mr Cheuk pointed out to attending Heads of Departments that the Central Government attaches great importance to the work of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in improving district governance. He urged departments to actively follow up on related work and demonstrate to the community that the Hong Kong civil service is efficient, outstanding and wholeheartedly working for the people, with a view to enhancing the public’s sense of achievement and contentment.
He continued, “I am confident that under the refined district governance structure, with the collective efforts and collaboration of departments, we will certainly be able to live up to our mandate and succeed in accomplishing the mission.”
The Government announced on May 2 the proposals on improving district governance, which include reforming the District Councils and strengthening the district governance structure. Under the new district governance structure, the Steering Committee chaired by the CS will be responsible for taking a leading role in the overall strategies, policies and measures, work priorities and resource allocation of district governance, whereas the Task Force chaired by the DCS will be responsible for steering and co-ordinating the district work of various bureaux and departments, implementing the poilicies and measures concerned, and, as necessary, co-ordinating inter-departmental and/or cross-district issues.
The terms of reference and membership of the Task Force are in Annex I and Annex II respectively.Hong Kong – The Force wins three top accolades “Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury” at 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (with photos)
Officers of the Information System Wing of the Hong Kong Police Force participated in the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in Switzerland from April 26 to 30 and garnered three Gold Medals with the Congratulations of Jury. This is the Force’s first participation in the international event, showcasing its achievements in digital policing.
In view of the frequent hiking accidents in recent years and the upward trend in search and rescue operations, the Force has developed a series of innovative smart search and rescue solutions to improve operational efficiency and public safety. These solutions utilise cutting-edge technology to revolutionise the traditional search and rescue process to save lives, and set a new milestone in the development of digital policing.
Following a highly competitive judging process with international expert judges reviewing all the entries, three entries on innovative technological solutions professionally presented by the Force won the “Gold Medals with the Congratulations of the Jury ” in the “Security, Search & Alarm” category. The participating team is honored to receive this international award. The Force’s three winning entries include:
1. 3R Search and Rescue Plan (R-MAP, R-WATCH and R-CAM) and HKSOS Mobile Application, which enhance inter-departmental search and rescue coordination capabilities and ensure the safety of citizens’ outdoor activities;
2. Signal Radar, which detects mobile phone distress signals in complex terrain or areas without mobile network coverage; and
3. RescueAI, which analyses and predicts specific areas for search and rescue missions.
The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva also opens to the public. Attendees from all over the world showed a great interest in the Force’s innovative smart search and rescue solutions. Countries including Switzerland and various areas of Europe also face similar challenges in search and rescue missions. Attendees were impressed with the Force’s presentation on digital applications and innovative thinking, designs and application of the innovative smart search and rescue solutions.
This year’s exhibition was the first physical exhibition since the COVID-19 pandemic, which attracted over 42 countries and regions presenting a total of 820 exhibits. With 293 projects, Hong Kong had a record breaking number of entries in the exhibition.Hong Kong – The Force commends outstanding bank staff for helping police combat scams (with photos)
The Bank Staff Recognition Ceremony organised by the Hong Kong Police Force was held today (August 30). The award recognises the efforts of banks and frontline bank staff in assisting the Police to combat deception cases.
The ceremony was officiated by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Siu Chak-yee. Executive Director of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, Ms Carmen Chu; and representative of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, Ms Boey Wong were also invited as officiating guests to present the awards.
Addressing the ceremony, Mr Siu said that there had been an alarming rise of deception cases. In 2016, the number of deception cases was around 10 per cent of the overall crime cases but now it has jumped to one in every three cases. He pointed out that fraudsters had employed different defrauding tricks to commit crimes with use of phones and Internet, in which had posed huge challenges to crime prevention. Therefore, the Police work in close collaboration with the banking sector in combating deception cases.
Mr Siu added that the Anti-Deception Coordination Centre (ADCC) had successfully prevented 1 760 scam cases from happening with joint efforts from the Police and the banking sector since its establishment in July 2017. Among them, more than 460 cases were detected by bank staff resulting in the arrests of 571 fraudsters and intercepting over $10.7 billion. He praised the frontline bank staff for their vigilance and professionalism which had successfully prevented scams from happening.
He said he hoped the bank sector would deepen the collaboration with the banking sector, in particular in regard to the “24/7” Stop-Payment Mechanism, thereby to intercept payments to fraudsters in round-the-clock manner. The Police also hoped the sector could actively adopt a multi-pronged approach to combat deception cases by making use of RegTech in crime detection and prevention, in addition to traditional educational promotion.
In addition to individual awards, eight cooperate awards were established, including The Most Active Participation Award (Champion, 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up), Effective Application of Regtech, Expert Assistance on the Prosecution against Loco London Gold Scams, Active Participation in Scam Prevention Training, Extensive Display of Anti-Scam Publicity Materials and High Turnout of Scam Response Teams, in recognition of the banks’ contributions in prevention and inspection of deception cases, as well as interception and reporting. (The awardees are listed in the Annex).
In the past year and a half, a total of 192 frontline bank staff had assisted the Police in identifying 290 deception cases and reported them to the ADCC, thus preventing the public from falling into scams. Meanwhile, a bank rewarded with “Effective Application of Regtech” had successfully detected at least 26 on-going deception cases by application of RegTech, during which its staff conducted enquiries to victims and convinced them to report the cases, allowing the Police to activate the Stop-Payment Mechanism and assist the victims to recover their losses.
In the first half of 2022, a total of 12 326 deception cases was recorded, registering a significant increase of 42 per cent compared with that of the same period of 2021, with pecuniary loss exceeding $2.1 billion.
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