Hong Kong police halve the number of parking tickets issued as protests take toll on traffic enforcement
- Traffic officers redeployed to help police demonstrations, wardens patrolling less fearing attacks by radicals, says insider
- Fixed parking penalties down from monthly average of 162,000 to 72,000 following outbreak of anti-government protests in June
The number of parking tickets issued by Hong Kong police has halved since the protests erupted in June as resources are diverted to tackling anti-government unrest.
In the first half of the year, a monthly average of 162,000 on-the-spot penalties were handed to motorists for illegal parking, but that figure plummeted by 55 per cent between July and October to 72,000 per month, according to police figures obtained by the Post.
In the whole of 2018, the force issued more than 2 million fixed penalty notices, which amounts to 168,000 per month on average.
A police insider said reduced traffic enforcement was “inevitable” during the ongoing demonstrations because district traffic officers were being redeployed to help police the protests.
Supporting roles they were taking up included clearing road blockages, escorting suspects and even delivering meals for frontline officers.
“To tackle the social unrest or to manage street traffic, which one is more important and should come first?” the insider said.
“Traffic wardens, who are also under police command, patrol less often nowadays as they could become an easy target of anti-government protesters.