Proposal to Deploy Smaller and More Discreet Surveillance Cameras for Capturing High-rise Littering

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment whether the Government will look into deploying smaller and more discreet surveillance cameras for capturing high-rise littering so as to avoid alerting potential offenders to the deployment of these cameras.

The National Environment Agency (NEA) is continually looking to enhance its enforcement capabilities, including for high-rise littering surveillance, by keeping pace with the latest developments in camera technology. Cameras that are smaller in size tended to have a shorter optical range and duration. NEA will consider the effectiveness of surveillance equipment comprehensively in its adoption.

Thank you, Madam, and I thank the Senior Minister of State for the reply. Could I just ask whether there is a timeframe in terms of reviewing the effectiveness of the current surveillance cameras? I just did my home visits again and I still have the same feedback about the same debate that we had a few years ago, about how, when we put the surveillance camera there, it is good deterrence – people stopped littering or throwing out their cigarette butts. But the minute we remove the cameras, they start again. So, it is a cat-and-mouse game and it really is a waste of our current resources.

Can NEA look into this; look into deploying smaller, more discreet cameras so that we can have more effective enforcement on the ground?

Let me explain. We are mindful of the feedback that we have gotten and indeed, we are aware of this. As I have said, we continue to look at developments in camera technology for more effective and better deployment. But in the mean time, to make it less conspicuous, we deploy the camera quite a distance away from the suspected units. We try to deploy at ground level where site conditions permit and, only in cases where this is not possible, do we look for an adjacent block to deploy the camera.

We also need to consider other factors that will help us in apprehending the high-rise litter bugs. For instance, you need to deploy the camera over a sufficient surveillance duration, which is maybe, a few days; five days or even more. Therefore, you will require a battery pack. You will also need to make sure that the cameras are tamper-proof, not subjected to mischief, for instance. And to mount it securely, you need a camera pole. Actually, it is not just the size of the camera but the entire system, which comprises the camera plus the battery pack.

There is also this trade-off between size and efficacy. You need cameras with wider optical range because you usually do not have good enough information to know exactly which floor and, in fact, even which stack. So, you need a wider optical range from which to increase the chance to apprehend the high-rise littering offenders. That is the reason why, if you look at it, it is not just the size of the camera, but the entire system.

As I have said, we will continue to look at developments in camera technology, including better image resolution and detection capabilities. At the moment, smaller cameras mean shorter surveillance duration capabilities as well as very limited optical range.

At the end of the day, enforcement does act as a deterrent, but for a long-term sustainable solution, it must be that we want to encourage all Singapore residents to take collective responsibility, to encourage and influence each other to be civic-minded and to have positive social norms.