Missing man in Cheung Sha Wan located

     A man who went missing in Cheung Sha Wan was located.

     Kwok Wai-hung, aged 64, went missing after last seen in Lei Cheng Uk Estate on March 12 night. His family member made a report to Police on March 19.

     The man was located in a hospital on Gascoigne Road, Yau Ma Tei this afternoon (June 26). He sustained no injuries and no suspicious circumstances were detected.




New e-Report Centre to be launched at Police website

     Police will launch a new e-Report Centre at its website tomorrow (June 27) in view of an increasing demand for online case reporting services and increase in types of cases reported.

     The existing e-Report Room at the Police website was launched in June 1996 to provide online case reporting services to the public.  In view of the increasing usage of the e-Report Room function in recent years, Police designed the e-Report Centre with new features such as case categorisation and uploading functions, to replace the e-Report Room and better meet the needs of users.

     The new e-Report Centre will adopt a more user-friendly design, offering 23 types of report templates under five categories, namely Crime, Miscellaneous, Road Traffic Incident, Request for Information and Other Online Services. It will also allow users to upload images and document files for Police investigation.

     Other new features of the e-Report Centre include raising screening questions to classify emergent and non-emergent cases; issuing acknowledgment slip to the informant to confirm receipt of the report; and issuing  confirmation email to the informant with an e-reference number and the contact information of the unit responsible for initial handling of the report.

     The e-Report Centre is designed for reports of non-emergency nature and that instant response will not be available.  In case of emergency, members of the public should call 999 or 992 (SMS Emergency Hotline Service/Fax Service for registered users only), or contact the nearest police station.

     The public may also contact the Police via other means, such as making use of telephone hotlines, fax, e-mail, post and Crime Information Form. For details, please visit the Police website at www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/contact_us.html.
     




Man sentenced for selling dog without one-off permit

     A 52-year-old man who sold a dog without a one-off permit was convicted at the Fanling Magistrates' Courts today (June 26) for violating the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Ordinance (Cap 139).
 
     A spokesman of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that AFCD staff had received a complaint about suspected illegal trading of dogs on the Internet in November last year. An AFCD officer, posing as a customer, contacted the trader, and met the 52-year-old man at Kam Sheung Road on December 11. The man was carrying three young dogs in a dog cage. After the man agreed to sell one of the dogs for $8,500, the officer revealed his identity and follow-up investigations were initiated.
 
     Following investigations by the AFCD it was found that the man was selling dogs without a valid licence or permit. AFCD charged the man for selling a dog without a one-off permit. The man was convicted today and fined $4,000.
 
     The amended Public Health (Animals and Birds) (Trading and Breeding) Regulations (Regulations) (Cap 139B) came into force on March 20 last year. Any person who sells a dog must obtain a suitable type of licence or permit. There are three types of licence and one type of permit, namely the Animal Trader Licence and the Dog Breeder Licence Category A and Category B, as well as a one-off permit for dog owners. Those who sell animals or birds without a proper licence or permit are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000, whereas the maximum penalty for contravention of a condition attached to a licence or permit is a fine of $50,000.
 
     Since the amended Regulations came into effect, about 200 complaints have been received by the AFCD in relation to suspected dogs being offered for sale on the Internet without a licence or one-off permit. The AFCD followed up all these cases and detected suspicious elements in 42 cases. Following in-depth investigation, including decoy operations, 21 cases have been successfully prosecuted, 19 cases are still under investigation and two cases were dropped due to insufficient evidence.
 
     The spokesperson reminded the public that since the amended Regulations came into force, all animal traders and dog breeders and those who sell their own dogs should obtain a suitable type of licence or permit, and follow the licence conditions and codes of practice to ensure the welfare of animals. Failure to do so may lead to prosecution. For more details of the regulations and the application procedure for a licence or permit, please visit www.pets.gov.hk or call 1823.




Secretary for Security visits Kwun Tong (with photos)

     The Secretary for Security, Mr John Lee, visited Kwun Tong this afternoon (June 26) with a view to staying abreast of its law and order situation and the livelihood conditions of local people. He also visited a youth service centre in the district.
      
     Accompanied by the District Officer (Kwun Tong), Mr Steve Tse, Mr Lee first met with members of the Kwun Tong District Council to exchange views on law and order matters and other issues relating to people's livelihood in the district.
      
     Afterwards, Mr Lee visited the Ngau Tau Kok Youth Integrated Service Centre of Kwun Tong Methodist Social Service. The centre provides a variety of services for children and young people in need for their development.
 
     Mr Lee was briefed on the services and operation of the centre. He also toured the facilities, including the band room, the children's activity room and the dance room.
 
     Before concluding his visit, Mr Lee chatted with young people who were visiting the centre and encouraged them to pursue their dreams at a sharing session.
 

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DH’s Tobacco Control Office strengthens tobacco enforcement work (with photos)

     The Department of Health's Tobacco Control Office (TCO) today (June 26) carried out a tobacco control publicity operation, reminding members of the public to comply with the law and not to smoke in statutory no-smoking areas. Venue managers are also urged to implement the smoking ban in indoor public areas to safeguard the health of their staff and customers.
 
     The TCO set up a task force with retired police officers in December 2017 to strengthen enforcement actions, especially during night-time or public holidays and in venues where smoking offences are prevalent. During the World Cup period, the TCO has also stepped up its enforcement actions against smoking offences in venues such as pubs and cooked food centres.
 
     A spokesman for the TCO said, "With their professional training as well as rich knowledge and experience in enforcement work, retired police officers can fit in well with the work of tobacco control inspectors. They can apply their enforcement experience in tobacco control work, enhancing the overall enforcement capability of the tobacco control inspector team."
 
     The enforcement work of the task force has been effective. From its establishment to May this year, the task force has inspected over 3,300 venues and prosecuted over 1,300 smoking offenders.
 
     The spokesman pointed out that enforcement is an integral part of the Government's tobacco control policy. According to the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Cap 371), no person shall smoke or carry a lighted cigarette, cigar or pipe in a statutory no-smoking area. Offenders will be liable to a fixed penalty of $1,500. Statutory no-smoking areas include indoor areas of all restaurant premises, indoor workplaces, indoor areas in public places and some outdoor venues.
 
     In 2017, the TCO conducted 33,000 inspections and issued fixed penalty notices or summonses to over 9,800 smoking offenders.
 
     When members of the public are found smoking in statutory no-smoking areas, tobacco control inspectors will prosecute offenders without prior warning. Smoking offenders are urged to co-operate with the enforcement officers to provide identity documents and other necessary information, or they might be further charged with failing to give their name, address and contact telephone number or produce proof of identity upon request, for which offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $10,000.
 
     The spokesman reminded, "The venue manager of a statutory no-smoking area is empowered by the law to implement the smoking ban. As smoking is an action that lasts for a very short time, it is more effective for a venue manager to take action against a smoking offence. If smoking offenders are found in no-smoking areas, members of the public can make a complaint to the venue manager to implement the smoking ban."
 
     The public can also call 2961 8823 or 1823 to make a complaint to the TCO. The TCO will investigate the cases and conduct inspections for enforcement.

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