AEROSOL PARTY SPRAY (Ban on use)

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AEROSOL PARTY SPRAY:

(Ban on use): 5.

Mr Steve Chia Kiah Hong asked the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs (a) if the Government will ban the use and carrying of aerosol party spray, whether in the form of foam, ribbon or others, at public countdown events; and (b) if the Ministry knows that groups of foreign workers are using these aerosol sprays to spray at young girls at these public countdowns to temporarily blind them, so as to molest them publicly.

The Senior Minister of State for Home Affairs (Assoc. Prof. Ho Peng Kee) (for the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs): Sir, the use of aerosol party sprays at outdoor countdown parties is common in many parts of the world. Most of the users are genuine party-goers with no criminal intent.

Police officers deployed at such events are alert to acts of crime or mischief involving the use of aerosol party sprays.

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During the recent New Year countdown parties, police arrested the culprits in six out of the seven reported molest cases. Of these six, only one involved the use of aerosol party spray and, in that particular case, it involved a foreign worker.

Sir, in addition to deploying marshals for crowd control, police normally provides advisories to the organisers of major events on the pre-emptive measures that can be taken against law and order incidents. At the recent parties, besides advising organisers not to permit the sale of such aerosol party sprays by their own vendors, police worked with relevant agencies to take strict enforcement action against illegal hawkers peddling aerosol party sprays. A total of 84 summonses for illegal hawking were issued on Christmas Eve, and another 43 on New Year's Eve.

Even if aerosol party sprays were banned, molest or other crimes at countdown parties may still occur. In extremely crowded places, criminals will look for opportunities to commit molest and other crimes. Party-goers should, therefore, stay close to friends and remain vigilant.