Smoking ban in SAF camps and Home Team premises from 1 June: MEWR

Smoking will be prohibited in Singapore Armed Forces camps and all Ministry of Home Affairs premises from 1 June, Parliament was told on Tuesday (12 April).

Announcing the measure, Amy Khor, senior minister of state for the ministry of environment and water resources (MEWR), said the move is in line with the goal of a smoke-free Singapore.

Smoking will also be prohibited in all reservoirs and more than 400 parks, including neighborhood parks in residential estates as well as those under JTC Corporation, said Khor.

The smoking prohibition was last extended in 2013 and there are now more than 32,000 premises and locations where smoking is prohibited, said Khor, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Hong Kah North.

Cigarette butts are one of the most common pieces of litter found in Singapore, she revealed.

The authorities have spent as much as $120 million each year to keep public spaces clean, Khor said. Some places like Orchard Road have to be cleaned as often as every two hours, she added.

In 2015, more than 26,000 tickets were issued to littering offenders, which were a third more than in 2014, Khor said.

“Some 1,300 repeat offenders were issued with corrective work order. While enforcement officers will continue to take action against such irresponsible behavior, they cannot be everywhere all the time.”