Corrective Work Orders rose 30% to 2,600 cases in 2018: NEA
SINGAPORE — The number of Corrective Work Orders (CWOs) issued to offenders rose by 30 per cent to about 2,600 cases in 2018 from about 2,000 cases in 2017, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said on Tuesday (7 May).
Overall, there was an almost 22 per cent increase in the number of tickets issued for littering offences to about 39,000 tickets in 2018, NEA said in a media release.
Under NEA’s enforcement regime, first-time litter offenders have to pay a fine comprising a composition sum of $300. Recalcitrant offenders who are prosecuted may be issued a fine and/or CWO.
Introduced in 1992, the CWO requires recalcitrant offenders to clean public areas lasting between three hours and 12 hours.
“This regime serves to increase recalcitrant offenders’ awareness of the impact of littering, as well as experience the difficulties faced by cleaners,” NEA said.
Under the Environmental Public Health Act, the maximum fine for a littering offence is $2,000 for the first court conviction, $4,000 for the second conviction, and $10,000 for the third and subsequent convictions.
To improve the deterrence effect of a CWO, NEA introduced informative standees around locations for CWO sessions from May 2019.
NEA has also revamped the design of the CWO vest to raise the visibility of the CWO. The revamped vest is luminous pink and yellow to make it more distinguishable from other safety vests worn by personnel carrying out work in public areas.
Littering often occurs in neighbourhood centres, areas around hawker centres, MRT stations, and shopping malls. The majority of littering offenders are male, and are between 18 and 35 years old.
The deployment of technology, such as cameras and video analytics, have helped boost enforcement operations by optimising the limited enforcement manpower and enhancing the monitoring of known littering and smoking hotspots, NEA said.
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