‘They have broken 3 laws’: Youths smoke at Jurong West exercise area, one throws cigarette butt on ground
A resident has raised concerns after spotting two youths smoking and one of them discarding a cigarette butt at a public exercise area in Jurong West.
According to Stomper H, the incident took place near Block 629 Jurong West Street 65 on July 9 at around 4.30pm.
H said a group of boys had gathered at the public exercise area and alleged that two of them were smoking.
A video taken by the Stomper shows two bespectacled youths — one in a black t-shirt and one in a black hoodie — each holding a cigarette. The latter can be seen taking a puff from his cigarette.
“One of them was also seen throwing the cigarette butt onto the ground,” H told Stomp, who shared another clip of the youth in the black t-shirt apparently putting his cigarette out.
H said the youths appeared to be under 21 — one of the boys in the group is seen wearing a Yuan Ching Secondary School PE shirt — and expressed concern over their alleged behaviour.
“When young, one must already be aware of and respect the laws,” said the Stomper, who added that he reported the incident via OneService.
Youths have broken anti-smoking and anti-littering laws, says Stomper
H also believes that the youths were “not first-timers to smoking” after observing their behaviour.
“They need to understand that laws exist for a reason and that they had broken three laws within that period of time,” he claimed.
The Stomper was referring to:
- Smoking in a prohibited place, which carries a composition fine of $200 or a fine of up to $1,000 upon conviction in court
- Smoking, buying or possessing tobacco products while under 21, which is punishable upon conviction by a fine of up to $300
- Littering, which carries a $300 fine for a first offence
In response to Stomp’s queries, Yuan Ching Secondary School said on July 24 that the youths seen holding cigarettes are not students at the school.
The school added that it had spoken to the student wearing its PE attire, who said he was not smoking during the incident.
Members of the public may report tobacco-related offences, including underage smoking, to the Health Sciences Authority at 6684 2036 or 6684 2037, daily from 7am to midnight.
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