Gallery of service: Mr Hui beside his cabinet of awards and souvenirs collected during almost 38 years in the Force

Former commissioners have said that Asia's Finest was an understated tag. But few have driven the message home with as much passion as outgoing Commissioner Eddie Hui Ki-on. "There is absolutely no doubt in my mind the Force is one of the world's finest. Labelling it Asia's Finest is totally understated," he said.

Speaking to OffBeat for the final time before his retirement on January 2, Mr Hui looked back on his near 38-year career, his tenure as CP, and gave his thoughts on the Force's future. Only the second local to hold the title, he is one of the longest serving CPs ever, and made history by steering the Force through Hong Kong's handover to Mainland sovereignty, ensuring a smooth transition of law and order. He has guided the Force over hurdles such as the Asian economic meltdown and its subsequent effects on crime trends and the Force's spending, and dealt with the pressures of ensuring the Y2K compliance of the Force's mammoth computer systems.

"World's Best"

Yet despite all these pressures, general crime rates dropped during his tenure and many initiatives to improve the welfare and working environment for officers were implemented. Mr Hui attributed all these firsts and successes during his almost seven-year tenure to the excellent work by Force staff, and their dedication and loyalty.

"I would like to thank all in the Police for their support and encouragement during my period as CP and I am really proud to have led such a fine Force, particularly through such an important and historical period of time," he said.

"No matter what some critics may say, no one can deny that this Force is one of the world's best."

Mr Hui said major internal improvements to the Police, such as working environments for officers and quality of service to the public, along with the ever-increasing academic qualifications of recruits, were all working to build a better Force for the future.

However, he warned that upcoming challenges posed by booming population growth, particularly in the New Territories, along with the technical hurdles of policing the Internet and watching for other IT crime, would require a top-notch Force of this calibre.