Over 10 vehicles suspected to belong to police and other disciplined services staff were found to be illegally parked in Yau Tong for several days, amid the police force’s citywide crackdown on parking violations, according to a report.
An Apple Daily report states that 30 cars were found illegally parked on Shung Yiu Street on July 11, of which three had “Police Sports Recreation Club” stickers on the windshield, and ten were registered to Yau Mei Court, a housing quarter for members of the disciplinary services (i.e. police, firefighters, immigration officers, etc). The cars had reportedly been in the same location for five days.
The newspaper was first notified of the issue by a longtime police officer surnamed Lam, who said he’d tried to file complaints about the cars several times this year, but only succeeded in getting police to visit the scene a few times without taking any action.
A police spokesperson told Apple Daily said that two officers who dropped by Shung Yiu Street on Lam’s request had to respond to an emergency situation, but failed to explain why no further action was taken.
Kwun Tong District Councillor Tse Suk-chun said that the area has seen a boom in housing estates recently, which caused a shortage of parking spaces, resulting in some lots with waiting lists of up to 300 people.
However, Apple Daily reporters visiting Yau Tong Industrial City Block found free parking lots going for HKD34 per hour, while spaces in nearby malls and even Yau Mei Court cost HKD15 per hour and HKD75 per day. Compared to the amount of fines incurred by a month of illegal parking, drivers who sought those options would reportedly save at least HKD2,000 a month.
Earlier this month, police launched an indefinite operation (codename “Move Sky”) to punish illegal parking and other traffic violations. A press release from the force warned that offenders would be penalized without warning and vehicles may be towed.
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