Li Kwan-ha,

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, QPM,

CPM CPM may refer to: Advertising *Cost per mille, the advertising cost per thousand views *Cost per impression, Cost per thousand impressions, the online advertising equivalent Management *Certified practising marketer, a qualification for Australi ...

(; 3 July 1937 – 23 January 2017) was the first ethnic

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

to be the Commissioner of Police in Hong Kong, serving from 1989 to 1994.

Biography

Li was born of

Xinhui Xinhui, alternately romanized as Sunwui and also known as Kuixiang, is an urban district of Jiangmen in Guangdong, China. It grew from a separate city founded at the confluence of the Tan and West Rivers. It has a population of about 735,50 ...

ancestry on 3 July 1937. He attended King's College and Queen Elizabeth School. He joined the

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 1957 as a Probationary Sub-Inspector. In April 1969, he promoted to Superintendent. He promoted to Chief Superintendent of Police in 1978. He promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Police in 1979. He was the first Chinese Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police in 1984 and Deputy Commissioner of Police in April 1985. He rose to the rank of Commissioner of Police following the retirement of

Raymon Anning Raymon Harry Anning ( Chinese: 顏理國, 22 July 1930 – 20 December 2020) was a Commissioner of Police of Hong Kong. In the early 1970s, he was a commander of the Metropolitan Police in Greater London. He was later appointed as HM Inspecto ...

in December 1989 and served in the office until his retirement in 1994. After retiring from the force, Li joined tycoon Li Ka-shing's

Cheung Kong (Holdings) Cheung Kong (Holdings) Limited, is a multinational conglomerate, based in Hong Kong. It was one of Hong Kong's leading multi-national conglomerates. The company merged with its subsidiary Hutchison Whampoa on 3 June 2015, as part of a maj ...

and Hutchison Whampoa in 1995 while he was still on pre-retirement leave to advise the firms on security matters, which sparked controversies and led the Hong Kong government to tighten the Civil Service regulations in seeking employment after retirement. In 1996, Li was involved in the kidnapping incident of Li Ka-shing's son

Victor Li Tzar-kuoi Victor Li Tzar-kuoi is a Hong Kong businessman, the chair of the board and group co-managing director of CK Hutchison Holdings Limited and the chairman of the board and managing director of CK Asset Holdings Limited and the Chairman of CK Inf ...

, and Walter Kwok Ping-sheung, by notorious gangster Cheung Tze-keung, also known as "Big Spender." During the 1997 handover period, Li became a member of the HKSAR Preparatory Committee and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He was also a member of the Selection Committee which was responsible for electing the

Provisional Legislative Council The Provisional Legislative Council (PLC) was the interim legislature of Hong Kong that operated from 1997 to 1998. The legislature was founded in Guangzhou and sat in Shenzhen from 1996 (with offices in Hong Kong) until the handover in 1997 an ...

and the first

Chief Executive A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

of the HKSAR in 1996. Li's wife, whom he met at Queen Elizabeth School, died in November 2007. One of Li's children used to live in Vancouver, Canada but moved back to Hong Kong to keep Li company. The other one is living in London with Li's grandsons. Li died on 23 January 2017 after collapsing at his home in

Pok Fu Lam Pok Fu Lam or Pokfulam is a residential area on Hong Kong Island, at the western end of the Southern District. It is a valley between Victoria Peak and Mount Kellett, around Telegraph Bay. Pok Fu Lam can claim several ''firsts'' in the his ...

at the age of 79. He was certified dead after being rushed to Queen Mary Hospital.

Honours

* : **

Colonial Police Long Service Medal (1975) ** UK Colonial Police Medal for Meritorious Service ribbon bar

Recipient of the Colonial Police Medal (CPM) (1980) ** Colonial Police Long Service Medal first clasps (1982) ** Queens Police Medal for Merit

Recipient of the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

(QPM) (1985) ** Colonial Police Long Service Medal second clasps (1987) ** Order of the British Empire (Civil) Ribbon

Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(CBE) (1990)

References

External links

The Force's "firsts"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Kwan-ha Li, Kwan Ha Li, Kwan Ha Hong Kong Police Force Li, Kwan Ha Government officials of Hong Kong Alumni of King's College, Hong Kong Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference Hong Kong recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Recipients of the Colonial Police Medal