K.F. Seetoh slams installing CCTV at Yishun food centre to monitor noise: 'No hawker shouts incessantly at work'
Food critic K.F. Seetoh isn't buying one of Timbre Group's reasons for installing CCTV cameras at Yishun Park Hawker Centre, which Timbre manages.
Mr Seetoh had claimed in an Aug 23 Facebook post that to ensure no hawker cheated, Timbre installed CCTV in every stall to monitor sales and invaded the hawkers' privacy.
"These cameras today have listening capabities," said the Makansutra founder.
Timbre explained in a press release on Aug 26 that the CCTV cameras were installed in August 2024 following repeated feedback from residents on noise late at night.
"While we had reminded all hawkers to minimise noise during these hours, the feedback had continued. The CCTVs enable us to identify the potential sources of noise, so that we can better address residents' feedback," said Timbre.
"Additionally, the CCTVs are useful for safety and security, resolving the occasional customer dispute and verifying situations where a few hawkers were observed not to conduct their transactions using the point-of-sales, which made it much harder to accurately determine the rent payable."
So Mr Seetoh was right about the CCTV being used to monitor sales and ensure no hawker cheated.
In a Aug 27 Facebook post, he rebutted Timbre's claim about the noise.
He said: "The Government won't build a hawker centre next to residential blocks if they know the normal sound levels will affect residents. No hawker shouts incessantly when in the stall at work.
"That's no excuse for Timbre to surveil them with CCTV inside the stalls. There are lotsa hawker centres next to residential blocks and National Environment Agency (which manages many hawker centres) found no need to install CCTV in each stall."
The CCTV cameras are only one of several issues Mr Seetoh had with the way Timbre manages Yishun Park Hawker Centre.
He also highlighted the rental model, price of gas, the 10 per cent discount for diners using the Timbre app and other issues, which were addressed by Timbre in its press release too.
Timbre is the second hawker centre operator that Mr Seetoh had called out this month.
He had earlier criticised Canopy Hawkers Group, which manages Bukit Canberra Hawker Centre, for its attempt at "forced charity".
