Hong Kong digital office to boost overnight staffing for 1823 hotline after monkey report complaint
Hong Kong's Digital Policy Office will study increasing resources and overnight staff for the 1823 hotline after a caller reporting a dying monkey was not answered. The office says the call was diverted to voicemail because all operators were busy.
Hong Kong's Digital Policy Office has said it will study increasing resources and adding overnight staff to improve the 1823 government hotline after a caller reporting a dying monkey was not answered. The office responded after media reports said a citizen tried to report a dying monkey in Sham Shui Po but could not get through to a 1823 operator.
In a social media post, the Digital Policy Office said that according to 1823 system records, a citizen called the hotline at 1:56 am on 19 October to report a dying monkey on a hillside opposite the China Petroleum station at 338 Tai Po Road in Sham Shui Po. A 1823 customer service officer recorded the case and immediately referred it to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. Because it was an urgent case, the officer also telephoned the department's duty officer to handle it.
The Digital Policy Office also said another citizen called the hotline around 1 am on the same day. At that time, all duty operators were handling other calls, so the incoming call was diverted to voicemail. The caller did not leave a message, so operators could not follow up on that case.
The office said the incident showed there was room for improvement in 1823 services. It said it would review the situation and study further increasing resources, including adding more overnight staff to improve the hotline.