ZCZC
BFF-70
SINGAPORE-SMOKING-ENVIRONMENT-POLLUTION
Singapore rolling out thermal cameras to nab illegal smokers
SINGAPORE, July 10, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Lighting up will soon get tougher
in Singapore, with the government planning to roll out 300 high definition
thermal cameras to catch and fine illegal smokers.
The city-state already has some of the world’s strictest anti-tobacco
laws and smoking is banned in most public places, with errant puffers handed
a fine of up to Sg$1,000 ($740) if caught. E-cigarettes are also banned
outright.
Authorities are now looking to roll out sophisticated thermal cameras
that can detect when a person is holding a lit cigarette in a non-smoking
area, according to a Monday report by the Straits Times.
The newspaper said the cameras will be positioned around residential
areas and other public places across Singapore, and will also have the
ability to catch other illegal “unhygienic acts” such as spitting and
littering.
Singapore first introduced anti-tobacco laws in the 1970s as part of a
national effort to reduce smoking.
It has since expanded the number of public places where lighting up is
prohibited, including university campuses and in common areas around
apartment blocks.
Smoking in private cars is legal, but winding down the window while doing
so is not.
Singapore is jokingly described on souvenir T-shirts as a “very fine
city” because of the number and size of penalties for odd offences, such as
annoying a member of the public with a musical instrument and failing to
flush a public toilet.
BSS/AFP/RY/1700 hrs