PUBLISHED ONJuly 14, 2024 1:11 AMByLim KeweiAn Ang Mo Kio resident was alarmed to see shattered ceramic fragments strewn about the ground floor of a HDB block, in a suspected case of high-rise littering.
The man surnamed Wang, who lives on the second floor of Block 700A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6, told Shin Min Daily News that the police were called in twice to investigate the incident over two consecutive days.
The 57-year-old claimed that the culprit had first thrown soil down the block at 2pm on Wednesday (July 10). And at 4pm and 6pm that day, flower pots were flung down.
On Thursday afternoon, a ceramic bowl and plate were thrown down.
"The objects landed on the pavement in front of the block and the grass patch behind. The police arrived very quickly," said the property agent.
When a Shin Min reporter visited the HDB block on Wednesday, the police had cordoned off the ground floor. Ceramic fragments could be seen on the grass patch behind the block.
A police officer wearing a white protective helmet inspected the ground floor, while other officers visited residential units to investigate.
Similarly, on Thursday, police officers were observed going speaking to residents in the estate.
Huang, who lives on the 25th floor of Block 700A, told Shin Min the police had knocked on his door on Thursday night to ask if he was missing any potted plants.
He later realised someone had thrown objects down the block: "But the potted plants from my home didn't go missing."
Another resident added that she had noticed traces of soil on the ground floor, and no people or vehicles were hit by the litter.
Responding to AsiaOne's queries, the Ang Mo Kio Town Council said it was aware of the high-rise littering incident at Block 700A Ang Mo Kio Avenue 6 and has referred the case to the police for investigation.
The police confirmed they had received a report, and investigations are ongoing.
In March, the National Environment Agency said it investigated about 29,000 cases of feedback involving high-rise littering a year from 2021 to 2023.
Over the same period, the agency also deployed an average of 2,500 cameras annually and conducted about 1,100 enforcement actions against people caught committing high-rise littering.
Those found guilty of littering from a residential flat face a fine of up to $2,000 for their first conviction, $4,000 for their second one, and $10,000 for third and subsequent convictions.
The court may also impose a corrective work order requiring offenders to clean public areas for up to 12 hours.
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lim.kewei@asiaone.com
