Commissioner of Police (Hong Kong)
The Commissioner of Police heads the Hong Kong Police Force and, in accordance with Section 4 of the Police Force Ordinance, reports to the Chief Executive of Hong Kong and the Security Bureau. As of November 2019, the current commissioner is Chris Ping-keung Tang, appointed by the State Council of China.[1]
Commissioner of Police | |||||||||||||
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Traditional Chinese | 警務處處長 | ||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 警务处处长 | ||||||||||||
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Officers in command under British rule
Early heads were often military officers or had previous policing experience in the United Kingdom or other British colonies. Many joined the Force in senior command postings before their promotions. Li is the only Commissioner to rise from lower ranks (as Probationary Sub-Inspector) and Hui joined as a probationary Inspector.
- Chief magistrates
- 1841 – Captain William Caine
- 1844 (Feb) – Captain George Thomas Haly - Acting Superintendent of Police and officer with the 41st Madras Native Infantry
- 1844 (Mar) – Captain John Bruce - Acting Superintendent of Police and officer with the 18th Royal Irish
- Captains-superintendent
- 1845 – Charles May - Superintendent of A Division of the Metropolitan Police
- 1860 – Edmund Haythorne - British Army officer
- 1862 – William Quin - member of Bombay Police and first police officer to head Hong Kong Police[2]
- 1866 – Walter Meredith Deane - Cadet Officer from Britain sent to head force[3]
- 1892 – Major-General Alexander H. Adam Gordon - Superintendent of Victoria Gaol
- 1893 – Francis Henry May - Cadet Officer and the Assistant Colonial Secretary
- 1902 – Joseph Francis Badeley - Cadet Officer and Colonial civil servant[4]
- 1913 – Charles Messer - Cadet Officer and Colonial civil servant[5]
- 1918 – Edward Dudley Corscaden Wolfe - Cadet Officer and Colonial civil servant[6]
- Inspectors-general
- 1930 – Edward Dudley Corscaden Wolfe
- 1934 – Thomas Henry King - Cadet Officer and Colonial civil servant[7]
- Commissioners
- 1938 – Thomas Henry King - changed title from Inspector General
- 1941 – John Pennefather-Evans - served in the police force of the Federated Malay States
- 1946 – Colonel Charles Henry Samson (British Military Administration)
- 1946 – Duncan William McIntosh - former Deputy Commissioner of Police of Singapore
- 1953 – Arthur Crawford Maxwell - police officer in Malaya and Commissioner of Police of Sarawak in 1947-1949; Deputy Commissioner with Hong Kong Force in 1949[8]
- 1959 – Henry Heath - Member of Hong Kong Force[9]
- 1966 – Edward Tyrer - Member of Hong Kong Force[10]
- 1967 – Edward Eates - joined force in 1963 as Assistant Commissioner following police service in Pakistan, Sierra Leone and Gambia[11]
- 1969 – Charles Payne Sutcliffe - previous served in Metropolitan Police, Tanganyika; joined Hong Kong Police as Assistant Commissioner in 1960
- 1974 – Brian Slevin - formerly Deputy Commissioner[12]
- 1979 – Roy Henry - joined force in 1963; previous colonial police officer in Malaysia and Commissioner of Police in Fiji
- 1985 – Raymon Anning - served with Metropolitan Police and other British forces; joined Hong Kong Police in 1983
- 1989 – Li Kwan-ha - joined force as Probationary Sub-Inspector in 1957
- 1994 – Eddie Hui - joined force as Probationary Inspector
Officers in command of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
Commissioners
Commissioners of Police are mandated to retire before they reach the age of 57, but may be extended upon exceptional circumstances.[13]
# | Name | Took office | Left office | Length of Tenure |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Eddie Hui | 1 July 1997 | 1 January 2001 | 3 years and 185 days |
2 | Tsang Yam-pui | 2 January 2001 | 9 December 2003 | 2 years and 342 days |
3 | Lee Ming-kwai | 10 December 2003 | 15 January 2007 | 3 years and 37 days |
4 | Tang King-shing | 16 January 2007 | 10 January 2011 | 3 years and 360 days |
5 | Andy Tsang | 11 January 2011 | 3 May 2015 | 4 years and 113 days |
6 | Stephen Lo | 4 May 2015 | 18 November 2019 | 4 years and 199 days |
7 | Chris Tang | 19 November 2019 | Incumbent | 271 days |
References
- "China's State Council Appoints New Police Chief in Hong Kong". New York Times. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/772/eng/f04.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/773/eng/f01.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/773/eng/f01.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/773/eng/f01.htm
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9311057/Ted-Eates.html
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/773/eng/f01.htm
- https://www.police.gov.hk/offbeat/815/eng/f03.htm. Missing or empty
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