Chow Yat-ming to lead police force after Siu's retirement: sources

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) Joe Chow Yat-ming is set to lead the police force upon the retirement of Commissioner of Police Raymond Siu Chak-yee, according to sources, while Director of Crime and Security Keith Yip Wan-lung will fill the shoes of Chow.

Chow, aged 52, joined the Force in 1995 as an Inspector of Police and was promoted to Superintendent and served in the Crime Wing Headquarters in 2010. He was later seconded to Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France as a Criminal Intelligence Officer between 2012 and 2013.

Chow assumed the office of the Criminal Intelligence Bureau as the deputy in command upon promotion to Senior Superintendent in 2013. He further advanced to Chief Superintendent and commanded the bureau in 2016.

In 2017, Chow served as the District Commander of Yau Tsim District and was subsequently appointed as the Deputy Regional Commander of Kowloon West Region in early 2019. 

In June 2019, Chow worked alongside his colleagues to maintain social order during the black-clad violence. He was also the commander of the police operation during the Polytechnic University riot in November of the same year and resolved the situation within two weeks. The operation resulted in the arrest of a total of 1,377 individuals.

Chow was later promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner in February 2020 and took charge of the Operations Wing and later the Personnel Wing. In January 2021, he became the Director of Personnel and Training upon promotion to Senior Assistant Commissioner.

In August 2021, Chow took up the office of the Director of Crime and Security and assumed the post of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) after two years.

Sources told Sing Tao Daily, the sister publication of The Standard, that Yip would be promoted as Deputy Commissioner of Police (Operations) after Chow's appointment was approved.

Yip joined the police as an Inspector in 1991. He assumed the office of Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) in October 2020 upon promotion. 

In April 2022, Yip became the Director of Crime and Security upon promotion to the rank of Senior Assistant Commissioner. 

He holds a degree in Civil Engineering and a Master's Degree in Administrative Leadership, and attended courses at the Chinese Academy of Governance, the Peking University, the Australian Institute of Police Management, the FBI National Academy, the International Pearl Fishers Action Learning Group and the John Kennedy School of Government, Harvard. 

Between 2013 and 2014, Yip was seconded to the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France. 

The Director of Operations, Joe Chan Tung, will take up Yip's post after the promotion, sources added.

According to sources, Margaret Chiu Wing-lan -- Assistant Commissioner of Police, National Security -- will be promoted to Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police and take up the Director of Management Service post after the current director Lui Kam-ho takes up the post of Director of Operations.

Kenneth Kwok Ka-chuen, the Regional Commander of Hong Kong Island, will take on the role of Assistant Commissioner of Police for National Security. In turn, Frank Law Yuet-wing, the Regional Commander of Kowloon East, will step into Kwok's previous position, according to sources.

Paul Ng Chi-chung will be promoted to the post of Regional Commander of Kowloon East, sources added.

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