Andy Tsang Wai-hung () is the current Deputy Director of the National Narcotics Control Commission of the
Ministry of Public Security of
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
. He was former
Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
of the
Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest Hong Kong Disciplined Services, disciplined service under the Security Bureau (Hong Kong), Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Po ...
until 4 May 2015.
In November 2019, he missed out a top posting with the United Nations despite the strong support from the
People's Republic of China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
.
Career
Tsang joined the
Royal Hong Kong Police Force
The Hong Kong Police Force (HKPF) is the primary law enforcement, investigative agency, and largest disciplined service under the Security Bureau of Hong Kong. The Royal Hong Kong Police Force (RHKPF) reverted to its former name after the t ...
in 1978 as a Probationary Inspector. From 1993 to 1995, he was seconded to the
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...
in London as a Superintendent. He was promoted to Senior Superintendent (Crime – New Territories North Headquarters) in 1996 and to District Commander (Wan Chai) in 1998 with the rank of Chief Superintendent. He was subsequently appointed head of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau.
In 2003, Tsang was promoted to Assistant Commissioner (Information Systems Wing) in 2003. In February 2005, he was promoted to Senior Assistant Commissioner (Director of Personnel and Training). He was subsequently appointed Director of Operations. He was promoted to Deputy Commissioner (Management) in January 2008 and appointed Deputy Commissioner (Operations) in March 2010.
In January 2011, the Hong Kong government announced that Tsang was to succeed
Tang King-shing as Commissioner of Police.
Tsang retired on 4 May 2015, and was replaced by
Stephen Lo Wai-chung
Stephen Lo Wai-chung () was the Commissioner of Police of the Hong Kong Police Force. He began service in the police in 1984 and served as Commissioner of Police from May 2015 until his retirement in November 2019.
Biography
Lo attended th ...
, promoted from deputy commissioner in charge of force management.
[
Tsang has been nominated by the Government of the People's Republic of China to fill in the position of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) in June 2019, upon ]Yury Fedotov
Yury Viktorovich Fedotov (russian: Юрий Викторович Федотов, 14 December 1947 – 16 June 2022) was a Russian diplomat. From 2010 to 2019 he served as executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) ...
's retirement after more than 9 years service. If he is appointed, Tsang will become the second person from Hong Kong ever leading a major United Nations component.
In 2016, Tsang joined Chen Hsong Group as a strategy officer. In 2018, Tsang was appointed as a non-executive director of Transport International
Transport International Holdings Limited () (), formerly known as the Kowloon Motor Bus Holdings Limited, is a public transport operator in Hong Kong, and some cities in China, including joint ventures in Beijing and Shenzhen.
In 1961, Kowloon Mo ...
, the parent company of Kowloon Motor Bus
The Kowloon Motor Bus Company (1933) Limited (KMB) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It is the largest bus company in Hong Kong by fleet size and number of bus routes. It is a subsidiary of Transport International.
...
and Long Win Bus
Long Win Bus Company Limited (LWB; ) is a bus company operating franchised services in Hong Kong. It provides bus service between Hong Kong International Airport, North Lantau New Town and the New Territories. It is a subsidiary of Transport In ...
.
Controversy
Fantasy apology
Soon after he became commissioner, during the 2011 anti-budget demonstration, an 8-year-old boy was pepper-sprayed in the eye, according to police, accidentally. Under pressure to make an apology on behalf of the police force, Tsang declined, saying any apology is something of a fantasy (天方夜譚).
818 incident
On 23 August 2011, there were calls for Andy Tsang to resign following the controversy regarding the visit of Vice Premier Li Keqiang in August 2011 during which student protesters were prevented from making themselves heard in Li's vicinity and detained.
Strong police forces against protests
Known to be a hard-liner, Tsang's unpopularity is borne out by his nickname, "The Vulture". Under Tsang, police tactics and handling have come under increased criticism for heavy-handedness; incidents of police harassment of protesters have increased."Hong Kong police's harassment of protesters tarnishes good name of Asia's Finest
''South China Morning Post''. In particular, since the start of the
Umbrella Revolution
A series of sit-in street protests, often called the Umbrella Revolution and sometimes used interchangeably with Umbrella Movement, or Occupy Movement, occurred in Hong Kong from 26 September to 15 December 2014.
The protests began after th ...
, police methods and tactics have led to accusations that it has been turned into a political tool by the government, and that the police impartiality is no more; thus the governance system is seeing an erosion of the
rule of law
The rule of law is the political philosophy that all citizens and institutions within a country, state, or community are accountable to the same laws, including lawmakers and leaders. The rule of law is defined in the ''Encyclopedia Britannica ...
in favour of "rule by law", where the police are a mechanism for oppression of citizens.
[Dapiran, Antony (15 Dec 2014)]
"Mixed legacy for Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement"
''Business Spectator''. Tsang was conspicuously absent following the eruption of student protests and the start of the Umbrella Revolution where many questions were raised with regard to the Hong Kong Police Force using excessive force on protesters. This prolonged absence prompted speculation that he was gravely ill. Three weeks later, on 18 October 2014, Tsang dispelled concerns that he was deceased after appearing in front of the press to comment on the Occupy Central development. Fung Wai-wah
Fung Wai-wah (; born 1960) is a Hong Kong educator, social worker and activist. He is the final president of the Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU), the largest teachers' union in the territory which disbanded in August 2021, and t ...
, president of the Professional Teachers' Union
The Hong Kong Professional Teachers' Union (HKPTU) was a Pro-democracy camp in Hong Kong, pro-democracy trade union, professional association and social concern group in Hong Kong. Until its disbandment in 2021, it was the largest teachers' ...
, remarked that "the police have made themselves enemy of the people", literally overnight.
References
External links
Hong Kong Police Force website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tsang, Andy
Living people
Government officials of Hong Kong
Hong Kong civil servants
Hong Kong Police commissioners
Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star
1958 births
Members of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference
Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference