As families prepare to pay New Year visits during the upcoming holiday, Police Commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming said there will be no blanket leniency for parking offenders, stressing that enforcement will be based on professional judgment.
Speaking on a radio program on Monday, Chow said issuing tickets is part of the force’s efforts to ensure road safety, adding that officers may exercise discretion when handling parking violations.
"It would be unfair to my colleagues to ask me every time whether they should issue a ticket," Chow said. "We need to respect their professionalism."
He said frontline officers are trained to assess different situations, noting that a vehicle may be illegally parked without obstructing traffic, in which case an officer might decide not to issue a ticket.
However, he stressed that the public should not interpret such discretion as a holiday “free pass,” reiterating that decisions are made based on professional judgment.
Crackdown on overcharging taxis
Chow also addressed the recent arrests of several taxi drivers suspected of overcharging passengers.
Asked whether potential organized behavior could lead to more serious charges, he said authorities are examining whether collective fare inflation could amount to fraud. He added that the vast majority of taxi drivers provide good service.
HK$4 billion CCTV network expansion
Regarding plans to spend HK$4 billion expanding the SmartView CCTV network to 60,000 cameras citywide, Chow said the scale is not excessive given Hong Kong’s population and density.
"Maintaining public order and fighting crime will never be cheap," he said. "If we can ensure public safety, that in itself attracts tourists and investors."
He added that the cameras are already proving effective in crime prevention, crowd management during major events, and post-incident investigations.
