Senior Inspector (SIP) Roland Tung, 36, joined the Force seven years ago. In 2021, he successfully applied for a transfer to the Identification Bureau (IB), not only because of his education and qualifications but also due to his deep connection with the Bureau.

A comic encyclopaedia gifted by his mother inspired Roland’s understanding of the universe through science, thereby sparking his interest in science from a young age. Roland pursued a degree in chemistry overseas. After returning to Hong Kong, he continued to study for a related doctorate and worked in the radiology department of a hospital, putting his knowledge into practice.

While his mother ignited Roland’s passion for science, his father unintentionally guided him to join the Force. After serving in the hospital for some years, Roland would like to serve the community in another field. Since his father, a retired sergeant from IB, always shared police stories with Roland, joining the Force naturally became the first choice for Roland when he planned for a career change. He applied for the inspectorate and was successfully accepted in his first attempt. During the first four years of his police career, Roland spent three years in District Investigation Teams and solved many cases. In 2021, Roland learned that there was a vacancy in IB and submitted his application at once. “I enjoy frontline investigation work. Forensics is an important part of criminal investigation and can better utilise my expertise.”

Roland always thought that following in his father’s footsteps was just a coincidence. It was not until he was undergoing forensic training that he realised his father had inspired him all along. “In one class, the students were shown a report from OffBeat in 1999, where IB officers were handling a burglary murder case. As they suspected that the murderer had climbed up the gas pipe on the outer wall to commit the crime, they asked workers to set up a scaffolding at the scene for officers to climb up the building floor by floor to collect fingerprints.”

In the report, an IB officer shared, “It was really tiring to have to hold the scaffolding tight and free up my hands to work.” This officer was Roland’s father Tung Muk-wan. Roland looked at the report and his father’s photo, and then recalled a day when his father came home with his arms covered with scratches. He deeply appreciated his father’s professionalism.

The main job of IB is to collect fingerprints and DNA at the crime scene, which often requires contact with corpses. Roland points out, “Sometimes when a corpse rots, a large number of maggots and flies will appear at the scene. Even if you wear protective clothing and masks, flies still have a chance to get in. Yet our evidence collection work will not be affected, no matter how bad the environment is.”

After three years in IB, Roland feels most about the constant improvement of technology and resources. For example, the laboratory has been expanded and fingerprint identification enhanced. A police vehicle has been converted into mobile laboratories to facilitate the investigation team’s outdoor inspections, field investigations, and testing. Roland believes that these optimisations and upgrades will provide more quality, efficient and comprehensive services to ensure that the Force will maintain its world-class level in forensic expertise.