Hong Kong tobacco control officers will be equipped with body cameras from Wednesday as they enforce the city’s smoking ban, with official data showing the number of penalty tickets issued last year has risen by almost one-third compared with 2023.
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Inspectors with the Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office will wear the devices while performing their duties to document any unexpected incidents or conflicts, according to the Department of Health.
“Starting tomorrow, tobacco and alcohol control inspectors will wear body cameras while they are discharging their duties and will record on-site situations when necessary,” the department said on Tuesday.
The department added that those subject to filming would be notified “prior to the commencement of recording in order to safeguard the safety of the public and enforcement officers as well as to collect evidence”.
Other government departments that have equipped frontline officers with body cameras include police, the Correctional Services Department and hawker control teams under the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department.
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The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office said it had referenced the experience of other law enforcement departments using body cameras when providing training to frontline staff and formulating their enforcement guidelines.
Any footage carrying no investigative or evidential value, and constituting no other legitimate purpose, will be deleted after 31 days from the day it was recorded, according to the office.