Debated in Parliament on 7 Nov 2016.
Miss Cheryl Chan Wei Ling asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources instead of increasing deployment of cameras and enforcement staff to curb high-rise littering, whether the Ministry will consider enhancing ground enforcement by allowing residents on patrol or designated volunteers to submit evidence of the offence and enable NEA to take immediate action against the offenders.
High-rise littering is an anti-social act and can be a serious offence which poses safety and hygiene problems to the public. However, due to the nature of the offence and our densely built-up housing estates, high-rise litterbugs can be difficult to identify and apprehend.
When feedback on high-rise littering is received, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will work with the Town Councils and grassroots organisations to conduct outreach efforts to educate residents not to commit high-rise littering. The offences would usually cease after such outreach efforts. Where there are cases of persistent high-rise littering despite such efforts, NEA would deploy surveillance cameras at suitable vantage points to identify and apprehend the high-rise litterbugs.
Between August 2012 and June 2016, NEA conducted more than 3,400 camera deployments and took more than 2,800 enforcement actions against high-rise litterbugs. The camera deployments have helped to increase the number of enforcement actions 90-fold since 2011 when surveillance cameras were first introduced. Today, officers are only stationed on the ground in a small number of cases where the deployment of cameras is not possible.
We welcome the suggestion from Member Cheryl Chan and encourage members of the public, including residents on patrol or designated volunteers, to provide any information or evidence of high-rise littering offences, including video footage, which can help NEA to conduct investigations to establish the identity of the offender and take appropriate enforcement action.
Beyond enforcement efforts, it is important to involve the community and educate our young to take ownership of the environment. To this end, NEA, together with the Public Hygiene Council and partners of the Keep Singapore Clean Movement, has been working closely with the Ministry of Education to inculcate in students the habit of keeping their homes, school compounds and common areas in the neighbourhood clean.
We will also continue to work with the community to ensure that our enforcement and outreach efforts are effective in discouraging such inconsiderate and potentially criminal behaviour so that everyone can live in a clean and safe environment.
PAPERCUTS