Despite efforts, high-rise littering remains a persistent concern

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http://www.todayonline.com/singapore/adding-teeth-killer-litter-laws-may-have-limited-effect?singlepage=true

Madam Mahani Abdullah, 67, was on
the way to a senior citizens' centre when
she was struck by a bicycle wheel

Killer litter, a scourge that has refused to go away for more than four decades, has again been thrust into the spotlight following the death of an elderly woman.

In the first reported fatality since 2002, she was earlier struck by a bicycle wheel allegedly flung by a teenage boy from the 14th floor of a Eunos Crescent block.

Despite government efforts to raise awareness of this public-safety issue — including taking a hard line, such as the option of repossessing an offender’s flat — high-rise littering remains a persistent concern and is, in fact, a growing problem in some estates, said Members of Parliament (MPs).

This year alone, there had been several media reports on injuries sustained from killer litter, as well as near misses, before Madam Mahani Abdullah’s death on Friday in the Eunos case.

While recent letters to newspapers have called for penalties to again be enhanced to include mandatory caning, for instance, MPs said adding teeth to laws might have limited effect, given that identifying culprits, let alone catching them red-handed, is a challenge.

Even installing surveillance cameras in areas where there have been complaints — the most common course of action taken — has not proven to be a guaranteed solution.

The use of surveillance cameras to curb high-rise littering started in August 2012. Despite being deployed at close to 700 locations since then, only 95 litterbugs have been caught on camera.

Mr Christopher de Souza, MP for Holland-Bukit Timah said, “I think if we have to rely on penalties, half the battle is lost. I think what we should really be doing is expressing concern on the ground, in the community, about the ill effects of killer litter.”

For recalcitrant offenders, Ms Lee Bee Wah, MP for Nee Soon, suggested public shaming as a form of deterrence. “We are living in a high-rise environment. I think everyone has a responsibility to make sure our living environment is safe,” she said.

Noting that offenders did not fit a fixed profile — some are mentally unsound, for instance — Mr de Souza added: “While we want to see a strong deterrent effect against people who do this voluntarily and maliciously, I also hope there’s some degree of compassion in the law to appreciate somebody who is unable to control his or her actions.”