Singapore
By Matthew Mohan 25 Jul 2021 06:01AM (Updated: 25 Jul 2021 06:10AM )
SINGAPORE: A curious face peered out the window of an Ang Mo Kio HDB flat. The resident has spotted National Environmental Agency (NEA) officer Robert Chew walking down the corridor.
Mr Chew, a senior executive in the agency's sanitation sector, is out checking for smoking offences. NEA officers often get curious looks and enquiring stares when they are on the job, he explained.
On this particular stakeout, Mr Chew is responding to feedback of persistent smoking offences which happen eight to 10 times a day, and between the second and fourth floor of the block.
Smoking is not allowed in HDB common areas, such as corridors and staircase landings.
“Feedback providers’ information is very critical to the success of these stakeouts. So we only do stakeouts when the information is very concrete, when we have enough information,” explained Mr Chew.
So Mr Chew waited on the fifth floor, examining the surroundings for tell-tale signs of a smoking offence.
These include burn marks on the staircase railing, ash and cigarettes on the ground, tin cans used as ashtrays, as well as the smell of cigarette smoke.
His partner for the day, NEA officer Matthew Almonte, bides his time at the lift landing of the second floor, also on the lookout for potential clues.
“Stakeouts are basically to catch the offender at that feedback spot … We have to be specific with the time … because if you don't have that particular time of when they smoke, then it can be difficult,” explained Mr Almonte.
“When we have a timeframe of what time they smoke, we will do the stakeout. And it's usually done with another colleague of mine.”
This time, however, the pair came up empty-handed. There are no signs pointing to illegal activities. The feedback provider also failed to pick up the phone, and Mr Chew could not further clarify some of the questions he has.
Mr Chew on a stakeout. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“It becomes very difficult when we are unable to reach them. For example, when we call them they don't pick up, (when we) visit the house, they also don't answer the door,” he said.
“Then we don't have much information. Sometimes the feedback can be very vague - like people smoking at (the) void deck - that’s it.”
What swung open instead is the door of the inquisitive neighbour.
Mr Chew identified himself and explained that NEA is here to conduct spot checks.
“When we identify ourselves as NEA officers, that sets them at ease a little bit, but it's dealing with those people that don't approach you, and they straight away call the police (on us),” said Mr Almonte.
“When we are doing stakeouts along the corridor and all that, neighbours will usually come out and ask us: ‘What are you all doing here?’ Of course, we don’t go into the details of what we are doing there but we just tell them we are NEA and we are patrolling the area.”
GETTING SCOLDED ON THE JOB
It's not just smoking offences that Mr Chew deals with.
“We handle feedback (on cases) such as high-rise littering, littering, smoking, spitting. So we do more of the investigation portion (of things),” he told CNA.
“When we receive feedback, the feedback may not provide enough information so it's our job to engage ... to collect more information."
Such feedback can be sent through various means such as the NEA hotline, email and the OneService app.
If the feedback is persistent or deemed a genuine issue, officers like Mr Chew are deployed to investigate. On the ground, they make use of whatever leads they can.
“Sometimes the cleaners may have witnessed it, then they are able to provide us with a suspected unit, a lead. Cleaners are important, they also can prove and substantiate the feedback,” said Mr Chew.
Mr Chew and Mr Almonte speak to a resident. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“When we visit the feedback provider, we also want to ask him if he has a suspected unit. Sometimes if he does provide a suspected unit and he is confident that it is that particular unit, we will straight away go to that unit, do a house visit and speak with the owner of the house.”
The job is not without challenges. For one, not all feedback providers are pleasant to deal with.
“Some feedback providers are very nice, you meet up with them, they are understanding, they give you the support you need,” said Mr Chew.
“Some feedback providers may not be that supportive of us. They are very frustrated by the complaint so they want to rant … Sometimes when they meet up with us, they rant, (and) it becomes like our fault.”
Dealing with such individuals is part and parcel of the job, he added.
“A lot of times, (they ask) why you will take so long, why NEA is not doing anything because they do not see what is being done ... Then they will sort of challenge us that if you do not resolve this by when and when, I will escalate it. I will tell my MP (Member of Parliament) or whatever,” said Mr Chew.
“It is important that we do not engage, we try to calm them down and let them know what we do on our end.”
Other times, feedback providers are uncontactable or refuse to be identified.
“When they submit their feedback to us, the amount of information and the accuracy of the information is very important,” he explained.
“Sometimes when we receive the feedback, we may get misleading leads - the address may be wrong, the unit may be wrong, then we have to engage them to get a bit more information.”
Taking enforcement action is a last resort, said Mr Vincent Ooi, who is a senior manager at NEA’s environmental public health operations group. Mr Ooi heads a team within the enforcement section.
“Enforcement ... usually is the last step. We try to educate, work with the community, make sure they change their behaviour. If all else fails then enforcement is the last one (thing to do),” he said, adding that evidence is needed in order for officers to take enforcement action.
The feedback is pumped into a system, which contains numerous charts, maps and figures. Mr Ooi and his team then assess the information and identify areas of persistent feedback as well as trends before they deploy officers to do enforcement follow-ups.
Mr Ooi studies cases of feedback on a centralised system. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“We usually plan, one week in advance, because we want the deployment to be as relevant as possible to the feedback. So when the information comes in, we cannot deploy one month later,” explained Mr Ooi.
His team also handles appeals - when members of the public claim that enforcement officers have conducted themselves improperly.
Along with his team, he will comb through footage from officers’ body-worn cameras. Officers also need to take down a statement of facts for every enforcement action they take, and this can be retrieved from the system.
“Part of our job is also to ensure that our officers are behaving professionally on the ground. So we constantly, regularly review our protocols, and new situations come up that we have not tackled before then will try to review how we can do it better next time,” he added.
One of the challenges Mr Ooi and his team face is the sheer volume of feedback received.
“The challenge is that the amount of feedback is increasing,” he said. “It’s almost impossible if we want to do it on our own, so we need a lot of stakeholders … to help us.”
Earlier this year, NEA said that more enforcement actions had been taken against high-rise littering and smoking at prohibited areas in HDB estates. Around 1,090 tickets were issued last year for smoking in places such as common corridors, staircases and lift lobbies - a 112 per cent increase from 2019.
There was also a rise in year-on-year feedback received for high-rise littering and smoking – 45 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.
DEALING WITH EXCUSES
Back on the ground, enforcement officers like Mr Almonte are on the lookout for those who flout the rules.
Smokers face a composition sum of S$200 if caught smoking in prohibited places. For littering, offenders face a fine of S$300 for the first offence.
Those who verbally or physically abuse officers can face stiffer penalties.
When caught, offenders are usually compliant, noted Mr Almonte, adding that some will try to feign ignorance.
“Even when there are signs like that on the wall, they will still be oblivious to the whole situation and say: 'I thought I could smoke',” he told CNA.
Mr Chew takes a photograph at an HDB corridor. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“There are often times there are those who will comply or even they try to play the victim, but they know they can only play the victim for that amount of time, then they will comply.”
Other times, they will try to argue their way out of the situation, he said.
“(Common excuses are) 'I didn't know', 'I didn't see', 'I'm just here for a quick one'. They always don't expect to get caught, but then when they get caught, they will give these kinds of excuses,” said Mr Almonte.
When told that they will have to be fined, some can get hostile.
“When you say: ‘Sorry we cannot give you (a) chance”, they try to get hostile, exert their authority. I have been scolded on one or two occasions. He just got angry and he said: “You can’t even give (me a) chance? I am a Singaporean you know,’” recalled Mr Almonte, who is a former army regular.
“At the end of the day, the challenge is how we deal with these people, how we do conflict resolution ... We just have to remain calm, because like I said as public officers, we have to remain calm, we have to still be professional, no matter how much they abuse us.”
There have been instances where offenders try to escape. Mr Chew recalled an incident involving a student smoking outside school premises. Halfway through speaking to NEA officers, she dashed across the road, back into her school.
“We did some investigation with the school to identify the student. Once we (had) identified the student, that's when we approach them, ask them down for the interview and still catch them,” he added.
Mr Chew and Mr Almonte study the configuration of units at an HDB block. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“We just take it in our stride. Every job has got its hazards. So I can take this as one of the jobs, the occupational hazards … Law enforcement is never easy," said Mr Almonte.
Despite these challenges, both Mr Chew and Mr Almonte continue to find satisfaction in the job.
“There are two ways to view it - you can view yourself as someone who issues tickets, punishes people, (issues) summons (to) people. Or you can view yourself as someone that helps the feedback provider to solve his issues,” said Mr Chew.
“I always view it the other way - that I am helping the public."
Source: CNA/mt(gs)
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‘We just take it in our stride’: The challenges NEA officers face dealing with littering, smoking offences
NEA officer Robert Chew walks along an HDB corridor.By Matthew Mohan 25 Jul 2021 06:01AM (Updated: 25 Jul 2021 06:10AM )
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SINGAPORE: A curious face peered out the window of an Ang Mo Kio HDB flat. The resident has spotted National Environmental Agency (NEA) officer Robert Chew walking down the corridor.
Mr Chew, a senior executive in the agency's sanitation sector, is out checking for smoking offences. NEA officers often get curious looks and enquiring stares when they are on the job, he explained.
On this particular stakeout, Mr Chew is responding to feedback of persistent smoking offences which happen eight to 10 times a day, and between the second and fourth floor of the block.
Smoking is not allowed in HDB common areas, such as corridors and staircase landings.
“Feedback providers’ information is very critical to the success of these stakeouts. So we only do stakeouts when the information is very concrete, when we have enough information,” explained Mr Chew.
So Mr Chew waited on the fifth floor, examining the surroundings for tell-tale signs of a smoking offence.
These include burn marks on the staircase railing, ash and cigarettes on the ground, tin cans used as ashtrays, as well as the smell of cigarette smoke.
His partner for the day, NEA officer Matthew Almonte, bides his time at the lift landing of the second floor, also on the lookout for potential clues.
“Stakeouts are basically to catch the offender at that feedback spot … We have to be specific with the time … because if you don't have that particular time of when they smoke, then it can be difficult,” explained Mr Almonte.
“When we have a timeframe of what time they smoke, we will do the stakeout. And it's usually done with another colleague of mine.”
This time, however, the pair came up empty-handed. There are no signs pointing to illegal activities. The feedback provider also failed to pick up the phone, and Mr Chew could not further clarify some of the questions he has.
Mr Chew on a stakeout. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“It becomes very difficult when we are unable to reach them. For example, when we call them they don't pick up, (when we) visit the house, they also don't answer the door,” he said.
“Then we don't have much information. Sometimes the feedback can be very vague - like people smoking at (the) void deck - that’s it.”
What swung open instead is the door of the inquisitive neighbour.
Mr Chew identified himself and explained that NEA is here to conduct spot checks.
“When we identify ourselves as NEA officers, that sets them at ease a little bit, but it's dealing with those people that don't approach you, and they straight away call the police (on us),” said Mr Almonte.
“When we are doing stakeouts along the corridor and all that, neighbours will usually come out and ask us: ‘What are you all doing here?’ Of course, we don’t go into the details of what we are doing there but we just tell them we are NEA and we are patrolling the area.”
GETTING SCOLDED ON THE JOB
It's not just smoking offences that Mr Chew deals with.
“We handle feedback (on cases) such as high-rise littering, littering, smoking, spitting. So we do more of the investigation portion (of things),” he told CNA.
“When we receive feedback, the feedback may not provide enough information so it's our job to engage ... to collect more information."
Such feedback can be sent through various means such as the NEA hotline, email and the OneService app.
If the feedback is persistent or deemed a genuine issue, officers like Mr Chew are deployed to investigate. On the ground, they make use of whatever leads they can.
“Sometimes the cleaners may have witnessed it, then they are able to provide us with a suspected unit, a lead. Cleaners are important, they also can prove and substantiate the feedback,” said Mr Chew.
Mr Chew and Mr Almonte speak to a resident. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“When we visit the feedback provider, we also want to ask him if he has a suspected unit. Sometimes if he does provide a suspected unit and he is confident that it is that particular unit, we will straight away go to that unit, do a house visit and speak with the owner of the house.”
The job is not without challenges. For one, not all feedback providers are pleasant to deal with.
“Some feedback providers are very nice, you meet up with them, they are understanding, they give you the support you need,” said Mr Chew.
“Some feedback providers may not be that supportive of us. They are very frustrated by the complaint so they want to rant … Sometimes when they meet up with us, they rant, (and) it becomes like our fault.”
Dealing with such individuals is part and parcel of the job, he added.
“A lot of times, (they ask) why you will take so long, why NEA is not doing anything because they do not see what is being done ... Then they will sort of challenge us that if you do not resolve this by when and when, I will escalate it. I will tell my MP (Member of Parliament) or whatever,” said Mr Chew.
“It is important that we do not engage, we try to calm them down and let them know what we do on our end.”
READ: Fewer tickets issued for littering and smoking offences in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions: NEA
Other times, feedback providers are uncontactable or refuse to be identified.
“When they submit their feedback to us, the amount of information and the accuracy of the information is very important,” he explained.
“Sometimes when we receive the feedback, we may get misleading leads - the address may be wrong, the unit may be wrong, then we have to engage them to get a bit more information.”
Taking enforcement action is a last resort, said Mr Vincent Ooi, who is a senior manager at NEA’s environmental public health operations group. Mr Ooi heads a team within the enforcement section.
“Enforcement ... usually is the last step. We try to educate, work with the community, make sure they change their behaviour. If all else fails then enforcement is the last one (thing to do),” he said, adding that evidence is needed in order for officers to take enforcement action.
The feedback is pumped into a system, which contains numerous charts, maps and figures. Mr Ooi and his team then assess the information and identify areas of persistent feedback as well as trends before they deploy officers to do enforcement follow-ups.
Mr Ooi studies cases of feedback on a centralised system. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“We usually plan, one week in advance, because we want the deployment to be as relevant as possible to the feedback. So when the information comes in, we cannot deploy one month later,” explained Mr Ooi.
His team also handles appeals - when members of the public claim that enforcement officers have conducted themselves improperly.
Along with his team, he will comb through footage from officers’ body-worn cameras. Officers also need to take down a statement of facts for every enforcement action they take, and this can be retrieved from the system.
“Part of our job is also to ensure that our officers are behaving professionally on the ground. So we constantly, regularly review our protocols, and new situations come up that we have not tackled before then will try to review how we can do it better next time,” he added.
One of the challenges Mr Ooi and his team face is the sheer volume of feedback received.
“The challenge is that the amount of feedback is increasing,” he said. “It’s almost impossible if we want to do it on our own, so we need a lot of stakeholders … to help us.”
Earlier this year, NEA said that more enforcement actions had been taken against high-rise littering and smoking at prohibited areas in HDB estates. Around 1,090 tickets were issued last year for smoking in places such as common corridors, staircases and lift lobbies - a 112 per cent increase from 2019.
There was also a rise in year-on-year feedback received for high-rise littering and smoking – 45 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively.
DEALING WITH EXCUSES
Back on the ground, enforcement officers like Mr Almonte are on the lookout for those who flout the rules.
Smokers face a composition sum of S$200 if caught smoking in prohibited places. For littering, offenders face a fine of S$300 for the first offence.
Those who verbally or physically abuse officers can face stiffer penalties.
When caught, offenders are usually compliant, noted Mr Almonte, adding that some will try to feign ignorance.
“Even when there are signs like that on the wall, they will still be oblivious to the whole situation and say: 'I thought I could smoke',” he told CNA.
Mr Chew takes a photograph at an HDB corridor. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“There are often times there are those who will comply or even they try to play the victim, but they know they can only play the victim for that amount of time, then they will comply.”
Other times, they will try to argue their way out of the situation, he said.
“(Common excuses are) 'I didn't know', 'I didn't see', 'I'm just here for a quick one'. They always don't expect to get caught, but then when they get caught, they will give these kinds of excuses,” said Mr Almonte.
READ: More than 1,000 enforcement actions taken against high-rise litterbugs last year
When told that they will have to be fined, some can get hostile.
“When you say: ‘Sorry we cannot give you (a) chance”, they try to get hostile, exert their authority. I have been scolded on one or two occasions. He just got angry and he said: “You can’t even give (me a) chance? I am a Singaporean you know,’” recalled Mr Almonte, who is a former army regular.
“At the end of the day, the challenge is how we deal with these people, how we do conflict resolution ... We just have to remain calm, because like I said as public officers, we have to remain calm, we have to still be professional, no matter how much they abuse us.”
There have been instances where offenders try to escape. Mr Chew recalled an incident involving a student smoking outside school premises. Halfway through speaking to NEA officers, she dashed across the road, back into her school.
“We did some investigation with the school to identify the student. Once we (had) identified the student, that's when we approach them, ask them down for the interview and still catch them,” he added.
Mr Chew and Mr Almonte study the configuration of units at an HDB block. (Photo: Matthew Mohan)
“We just take it in our stride. Every job has got its hazards. So I can take this as one of the jobs, the occupational hazards … Law enforcement is never easy," said Mr Almonte.
Despite these challenges, both Mr Chew and Mr Almonte continue to find satisfaction in the job.
“There are two ways to view it - you can view yourself as someone who issues tickets, punishes people, (issues) summons (to) people. Or you can view yourself as someone that helps the feedback provider to solve his issues,” said Mr Chew.
“I always view it the other way - that I am helping the public."
Source: CNA/mt(gs)
Continue reading...