Newsletter No. 434

No. 434, 19.3.2014 3 T he University campus is a safe and peaceful place, especially when compared to the rest of the city. Mr. Philip Wong , Director of Security and Transport, said that while the crime situation has been fluctuating from year to year, it has remained largely stable. He highlighted two prominent cases that have been solved in recent years, and alerted the campus community to certain prevalent risks and scams. Arrest of the ‘Rodent’ In 2012, a culprit code-named ‘Rodent’ by the office was captured. The man, in his 30s, would enter the CUHK campus (as he did other university campuses) in the wee hours of the morning, equipped with stolen smart cards available only to students. His crimes on our campus included stealing female underwear, taking drugs in handicap toilets, hiding pinhole cameras in ladies’ toilets and watching the footage on his computer. He managed to dodge arrest for several months. Then one afternoon a former security staff was having tea at the poolside canteen when he spotted a fellow diner, a chubby man bearing a strong physical resemblance to a suspect captured on CCTV. Even the clothes looked the same. He alerted staff of the office. Together they approached and overpowered him. ‘Rodent’ was arrested, charged and sentenced to 40 months’ imprisonment. Tree Thieves In July 2013, a vigilant staff member from the Estates Management Office noticed an elderly Chinese woman and a man (who later turned out to be her son), sawing an endangered incense tree ( Aquilaria sinensis ) on a slope near the Ho Sin-Hang Engineering Building. He hollered and when the pair took to their heels, alerted the Security and Transport Office who later found them near the 二十四小時服務 Round-the-clock Service 大學師生如果遇到保安問題，可以致 電保安及交通處二十四小時報案中 心：3943 7999。 Staff and students of the University who encounter security issues can call the Security and Transport Office’s 24-hour reporting centre at 3943 7999. 中 大校園十分安全，若與香港其他地方比 較，這裏更顯得太平。保安及交通事務 處處長 黃柏年 說，雖然校內罪案數字每年會有 升跌，但大致上維持穩定。他以兩宗近期破案的 案件，提醒大學各人注意某些常見風險和騙案。 「中大老鼠」落網 在2012年，保安處抓獲被稱為「中大 老鼠」的罪犯。這名三十多歲的男子， 身上有偷來的學生智能卡，慣常在凌晨 時分潛入中大校園（他也曾在其他大學犯 案）。他在本校所犯的罪行包括竊盜女性 內衣、在傷殘人士廁所內吸毒，還安 裝針孔相機偷拍女廁，在電腦上觀 看偷拍片段。他作案數月一直逍遙 法外，直到有一天下午，一名前保 安處職員在游泳池畔的餐廳吃下 午茶時，注意到一名也在用餐的 客人，身形圓胖，極像閉路電視 拍下的疑犯，甚至連所穿衣服 都一樣。他立即通知保安處，與 保安員合力制服疑犯。「中大老 鼠」被拘捕、檢控，後來被判監四十個月。 砍樹黨 在2013年7月，一名物業管理處員工在何善衡工程大樓附 近山坡，目睹有老婦和男子（後來知道兩人是母子）正在鋸 一棵沉香樹。他大聲喝止，疑犯馬上逃跑，該名機警員工 通知保安處，保安員在中草藥園附近找到兩人，他們後來 被到場的警察拘捕。其後調查發現二人在中大校園之外已 犯過相同罪行。他們因多項盜竊罪被判入獄三年半。 沉香樹屬於瀕危植物，近年沉香樹和它分泌的樹脂價格不 斷升高，導致香港的沉香樹被人大量非法砍伐和盜取。過 去幾年在大嶼山白銀鄉有超過一百棵沉香樹遭人砍伐。不 法分子首先會割開樹幹，以刺激樹脂分泌，然後回來收集 樹脂，再砍樹圖利。 黃先生說，大學正在研發感應器，安裝在校內如沉香樹等 珍貴樹木之上，如有人鋸樹或砍樹，感應器會發出訊號通 知保安處。這研究計劃由系統工程與工程管理學系 鄭進雄 教授和生命科學院 趙紹惠 教授領導，研發工作已到了最後 階段。 小額盜竊和道路安全 小額盜竊在校園時有發生，黃先生提醒學生不要把財物， 尤其是貴重物品，隨便放在校巴、教室、圖書館、體育館和 浴室。他呼籲大家，在校內要和在校外一樣常加警惕。「許 多人，尤其是學生，在校園內往往會放鬆戒心。他們在校內 感到安全是好事，但仍須常備不懈。」 不少汽車駕駛者和行人進入校園後常會掉以輕心，因此 而發生意外。黃先生說： 「大家要記着，香港的交 通規例在中大校園同樣 適用。我們是受《道路交 通條例》管轄的。」單車 騎士見到「下車」標誌， 就應下車，以策安全，不 要為了想運動而違規前 進。汽車駕駛者如在行人 過路處見到有人準備過 馬路，就應停車讓行人先 通過。行人則應時刻走在 人行道上，即使不見車輛 也不應走在馬路上。 電話騙案 或許不少中大人都接過自稱認識他們的陌生人電 話。致電者首先會裝出稔熟的口吻，問你是否認得 他，如果你誤以為他是某個熟人，他們就會自認是 那人，然後編造悲慘遭遇博取同情，再叫你匯款到 內地的銀行帳戶。黃先生說，學生和職員都是騙徒 的目標，有位內地學生就誤以為電話騙徒是高中老 師，被騙去金錢。 Herbal Garden. They were subsequently arrested by police summoned to the scene. Follow-up investigation revealed they had committed similar offences outside CUHK. The pair was sentenced to three-and-a-half years’ imprisonment for multiple accounts of theft. The price of incense trees and their resin has been soaring in recent years, resulting in many cases of illegal felling and theft of the trees in Hong Kong. Over a hundred have been chopped in Pak Ngan Heung, Lantau, in the past few years. The thieves would first make cuts on the trunk to stimulate resin secretion, before returning to collect it and to fell the trees for profit. Mr. Wong said the University is in the later stages of developing a sensor to be installed on valuable trees such as the incense tree. When someone is trying to saw or chop the tree, the device would send a signal directly to the office. The research project is led by Prof. Cheng Chun-hung of the Department of Systems Engineering and Engineering Management and Prof. Chiu Siu-wai of the School of Life Sciences. Petty Theft and Road Security Petty theft is prevalent on campus, Mr. Wong said, and students should take care not to leave their belongings, notably their valuables, lying around in school buses, lecture theatres, libraries, the gym and bathrooms. He reminded the CUHK community to maintain the same vigilance on campus as they would outside the University. ‘People, especially students, tend to lower their vigilance on campus. While it’s good they feel safe, they should be more careful.’ Many motorists and pedestrians on campus also fall victim to a false sense of security, Mr. Wong observed. ‘Don’t forget, the same traffic regulations that apply to Hong Kong also apply to CUHK. We are governed by the Road Traffic Ordinance.’ When the sign says ‘dismount’, cyclists should do so for their own safety rather than forging ahead for a good workout. Drivers should stop before pedestrian crossings if there are people waiting on the curbside. And walkers should keep to the pavement even when vehicular traffic is not visible. Phone Scam Many University members may have received calls from strangers who claim to know them. The caller would start by enquiring if you recognize them in a familiar tone as if they know you. If you fall into the trap and assume they’re an old acquaintance, they would then spin a sob story to win your sympathy before urging you to transfer money to a mainland bank account. Mr. Wong reported that both students and staff have been targeted by such callers. A mainland student, for instance, transferred money to a scammer whom he had mistaken for his high school teacher. 黃柏年先生 Mr. Philip Wong