Hong Kong hawker control officers start wearing body cameras to help with checks, with union hoping move will prevent conflicts
- Batch of 200 body cameras distributed to members of Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s 2,000-strong hawker control team, spokesman says
- Union for hygiene staff says he hopes policy will deter ‘residents who overreact to inspections by officers, and even attempt to assault’ officers
Hong Kong’s hawker control officers have started wearing body cameras to help with their checks, with a union leader saying he hoped the move would prevent conflicts with residents “overreacting” to inspections.
A first batch of 200 body cameras was distributed to the members of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department’s 2,000-strong hawker control team, a union leader revealed on Monday.
The equipment ensured officers could record incidents “when necessary” as part of efforts to “enhance the capability and accuracy of gathering evidence and provide useful information for future investigation work”, according to a department spokesman.
He said the department had obtained more than 800 body cameras and would review plans to increase distribution after considering their usage.
Au Pong-tim, president of the department’s Staff Rights Union, said: “We expect the cameras will serve as a deterrent for those residents who overreact to inspections by officers and even attempt to assault them.”
He told a radio programme that officers had carried their own personal cameras to protect themselves if a situation became violent, but footage from such devices could not be admitted in court as evidence.
But footage from the new body cameras issued by the department could be used as evidence in a hearing, Au said.
