COMPLAINTS AGAINST NOISE (Particulars)

Mr Yeo Choo Kok asked the Minister for Home Affairs (a) how many cases of complaints against noise have been reported to the Police since 1st January, 1981; (b) what were the causes of the noise in all these cases; and (c) whether the existing laws are adequate for the Police to deter people from making excessive noise in housing estates as well as on the road.

The Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs (Prof. S. Jayakumar) (for the Minister for Home Affairs): Mr Speaker, Sir, there were 15,611 cases of complaints against noise reported to the Police between 1st January, 1981 and 2nd February, 1982. This works to an average of 1,115 cases per month or 37 cases per day. This is not an alarming figure considering that we have some 500,000 households, 110,000 business establishments and 400,000 motor vehicles.

The complaints are usually made against noise emanating from:

(1) weddings, parties and other social functions;

(2) the inconsiderate use of musical instruments and audio equipment;

(3) family disputes and quarrels;

(4) children crying or playing;

(5) dogs barking;

(6) motor vehicles, and

(7) other sources, such as construction activity.

The answer to the problem of noise pollution in housing estates as well as on the road is not legislation alone. Landscarce Singapore is a busy modern metropolis with considerable industrial and commercial activity. It is densely populated, and we have no choice but to live close to one another in high rise buildings. It is, therefore, inevitable that there will be a certain amount of noise from roads construction sites and our neighbourhoods. There must be a tolerance to a certain amount of noise which will result from our living conditions.

The problem, however, is to prevent noise levels from becoming excessive or intolerable. There are several laws which deal with the problem of noise. The law under which the Police usually take action is the Minor Offences Act. Under the Act, the Police can only take action when excessive noise occurs between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. As such, the Police are sometimes hampered by this limited provision. The other laws on noise pollution are as follows:

(1) Motor Vehicle (Construction and Use) Rules, 1974, which deal with excessive noise from vehicles.

(2) Environmental Public Health Act which deals with industrial noise, and

(3) Public Entertainments Act, which controls the sound level of loud speakers.

The Police have been working on proposals to amend the laws but this is a complex matter and may take some time to finalize, as other departments controlling and regulating noise pollution activities are involved.

People living together in a community such as ours, should learn to be considerate and refrain from making loud noises unnecessarily. At the same time, they should also be tolerant towards the occasional noises which are not intended to annoy. This will not only create a more friendly and pleasant neighbourhood to live in, but the Police will also have fewer complaints of this nature to investigate and can, therefore, deploy more men to combat crime.