In 2020, More People Were Fined for Smoking in HDB Estates & More NEA Officers Were Abused

By
Ashley Seek
-

For those unaware, smoking in selected areas of HDB estates is banned.

This normally includes:

  • staircases
  • lift lobbies
  • common corridors

Needless to say, littering is a no-no as well and if caught for either, you could be punished with a fine, and possibly be Dee-Koshed as well.

In 2020, More People Were Fined for Smoking in HDB Estates & More NEA Officers Were Abused

However, there seemed to have been quite a number of cases last year.

It’s been recently reported that around 1,090 enforcement tickets have been given out for those who smoked in the aforementioned areas.

This was more than double compared to 2019, which saw around 513 tickets given out.

Across the country, there were a total of 18,500 tickets given for smoking offenders.

And under the ‘smoking prohibition in certain places’ act, those caught may be asked to pay a composition sum of $200.

If convicted in court, a fine of up to $1,000 fine could be given as well.

Littering Cases

But remember how we mentioned littering above as well?

In a media release by the National Environment Agency (NEA) on 4 Feb, there was said to be a huge jump in high-rise littering acts.

And by that, we mean by a whole 80 per cent, with around 1,120 cases total.

This is a small percentage of the overall tickets given for littering incidents, which is around 18,400.

NEA credits the deployment of more surveillance cameras that caught more of these acts.

The penalty for high-rise littering may vary under the Environmental Public Health Act.

For the first court conviction, the maximum fine for each act goes up to $2,000. This then increases to $4,000 and $10,000 for the second and third time.

You could also be given corrective work order if the court deems it necessary.

In total, over 36,000 tickets were issued for smoking and littering offences.

However, this number was actually less compared to 2019, which saw around 49,000 tickets overall.

NEA Officers Abused

Sadly, being the bearer of bad news also means you might bear the brunt of the offenders.

There have been several instances where NEA enforcement officers were physically and verbally abused.

Among the 90 abuse cases, over 70 of them happened when officers engaged the offenders.

Overall, abuse cases saw an increase in 2020 from 79 in 2019.

In response, NEA has stated those who abuse these officers will not be tolerated and serious action will be taken against them.

In Oct 2020, NEA placed stands which showed the number of littering incidents in the area and the enforcement actions carried out to deter further offences.

This was a three-month trial, which NEA aims to implement around the country this year.

Featured Image: Doucefleur / Shutterstock.com

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Ashley Seek
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