A four-month-old baby girl died suddenly at Fong Chong (Taipa) Nursery in October last year, and Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong said yesterday that no criminal offence was involved in the case.
Cheong said during yesterday’s regular police press conference: “After an in-depth PJ investigation of the environment, facilities, practices and all staff members of the nursery as well as the [baby girl’s] forensic examination, in particular, the blood sample of the baby girl was sent to a Hong Kong Laboratory for testing, which did not reveal any injuries, signs of asphyxiation, or abnormalities such as having consumed toxic substances so any criminal acts have been ruled out in this case.” Cheong reaffirmed that the investigation did not find any intentional or negligent interference that would have caused the infant’s death.
When asked by reporters about the exact cause of the baby girl’s death and the contents of the forensic report about the baby’s death, Cheong pointed out that as it has been confirmed that it is not a criminal case, the Judiciary Police are not authorised to disclose the contents of the forensic report nor the exact cause of the baby girl’s death, underlining that “the Judiciary Police are only responsible for the criminal investigation”.
According to Cheong, the forensic report has already been submitted to the Public Prosecutions Office (MP) together with the case details.
Moreover, in response to the Post’s enquiries yesterday, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) replied by email that due to privacy issues being involved, neither the Social Welfare Bureau nor the Health Bureau (SSM) could release any details of the case, such as the baby’s exact cause of death.
The Fong Chong (Taipa) Nursery stopped operation at the end of last year following the accident.
Installation of CCTV cameras in creches is ready: IAS
Meanwhile, IAS President Hon Wai told the media on the sidelines of an event on Saturday that the bureau has held meetings with various creche operators concerning the installation of CCTV cameras in their facilities, including the required operational methods and modes of supervision, as well as authorisation to access the surveillance systems, adding that the bureau was still in contact with the Office for Personal Data Protection (GPDP) and waiting for it to issue new guidelines on the matter.
Hon underlined that once the installation of the CCTV equipment has been approved by the GPDP, the bureau could commence the relevant work, noting that the arrangements for installing CCTV cameras in the creches was basically ready and the relevant standards had also basically been agreed upon with the nursery operators, such as when they could check their CCTV footage and how they should deal with parents who do not agree with the installation of the relevant systems, in the hope of being able to monitor the occurrence of special circumstances while ensuring the privacy of infants and young children.
Judiciary Police (PJ) spokesman Cheong Kim Fong looks on during yesterday’s regular press conference at the PJ headquarters in Zape.
– Photo: Yuki Lei
