Tsang Wai-hung appointed Commissioner
The Government announced on
January 6 that the State Council had, on the nomination and recommendation by the Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Mr Donald Tsang, approved the appointment of Deputy Commissioner of Police Tsang Wai-hung as the Commissioner of Police and the removal of incumbent Commissioner Tang King-shing from the Principal Official post.
Mr Tsang will take up the new appointment on January 11, 2011 when Mr Tang begins pre-retirement leave the same day, having served in the Police Force for 34 years, the announcement said.
Mr Tang and
Mr Tsang meet the media shortly after the Government's announcement
Commenting on the appointment of Mr Tsang, the Chief Executive said, "Mr Tsang has served in the Hong Kong Police Force for nearly 33 years and has extensive knowledge and experience in the operations and management of the Police Force. Over the years, Mr Tsang has made great efforts in enhancing the efficiency and professionalism of the Police. I am confident that he will lead the Police Force in meeting the challenges ahead."
Speaking about the retirement of Mr Tang, the Chief Executive said, "Since taking up the appointment as Commissioner of Police in January 2007, Mr Tang has made commendable efforts in maintaining law and order in the community. He has entrenched a culture of service quality in the Police Force and demonstrated personal care and attention for frontline staff. Under his able leadership, the Police Force has continued to excel as a world-class professional law enforcement body. We sincerely wish Mr Tang a happy retirement."
The Government also announced that Senior Assistant Commissioner Tang Kam-moon will succeed Mr Tsang as Deputy Commissioner on January 11, 2011.
New CP meets the
media
Speaking to media about his feelings about his appointment shortly after the Government's announcement, Mr Tsang said: "I am honoured to be appointed the next Commissioner and to succeed Commissioner Tang the command of this professional and modernised police force. I thank all of you wholeheartedly for your trust and encouragement and I pledge to follow the fine example of Commissioner Tang and many of our past Commissioners to give the best of myself in leading the police force to ensure the security and stability of Hong Kong and to serve the people in this great city.
"I also look forward to collaborating closely with the community, members of the Force, and friends from other law enforcement agencies both here and elsewhere in order to contribute to the success of Hong Kong and the Force."
Outgoing CP misses officers
During an interview with OffBeat, Mr Tang said what he misses most are his colleagues. "I'm very pleased they have given me a big support and done their best to maintain law and order in Hong Kong."
"I do appreciate the difficulties frontline officers have come across whilst carrying out their duties. As management, we give due regard to officers' various needs. Besides basic training, on-the-job training and equipment, we have actively promoted healthy lifestyles in the past few years and organised a host of activities to support officers," he added.
Mr Tang pointed out that for a major law enforcement department like the Force, integrity and conduct are vital and form the corner stones for public trust, adding that "only integrity and good conduct can secure the trust." He reminded officers that they could only secure the trust by adhering to Force Values whilst discharging their duties and that this would make the partnership in fighting crime more effective.
Speaking about handling heavy workloads, Mr Tang said any job is stressful. However, the most important things are our attitude towards the job and our determination not to let stress compromise work performance. "I have very capable officers who have managed to get the job done, using their own experiences and collective wisdom. They can help me make comprehensive reviews of policies and work," he noted.
Mr Tang expressed special thanks to the community for supporting the Force, including District Councils, District Fight Crime Committees and other organisations. "Their support is a big help in maintaining law and order and makes our job more smooth," he said.
Speaking about the things that have touched his heart, Mr Tang said: "During my tenure as Commissioner, a few officers had made the ultimate sacrifice, and in each tragedy I felt very sorry. We did our best to help their families, including funeral services, livelihood and accommodation, as well as education for their young children. If necessary we would approach other departments for help. After each incident, we conducted a review on many fronts, including training and equipment, to see whether improvements could be made, in the hope such tragedies would not happen again."
In his summing-up, Mr Tang said: "On the eve of leaving the Force, I express my heartfelt thanks to the officers who have worked closely with me in serving the community and the Force in the past 30-odd years. At the same time, I also thank members of the public for giving suggestions to the Force on different occasions. Be it a pat on the back or suggestions for improvement, I hope they would continue supporting the Force."
