State Council appoints Joe Chow as HK's police commissioner

China’s State Council appointed former deputy police commissioner Joe Chow Yat-ming as Hong Kong’s new police commissioner on Wednesday, succeeding Raymond Siu Chak-yee.   

The appointment, announced by state media Xinhua, followed Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu’s recommendation.

Lee expressed strong confidence in the newly appointed police commissioner, saying Chow is well-equipped to lead the force through future challenges.

"Chow has served in the Hong Kong Police Force for almost 30 years and has extensive experience in criminal investigation, intelligence gathering, policy-making as well as personnel management," Lee said in a statement on Wednesday.

"He has a distinguished performance and possesses proven leadership skills. I am confident that he will capably lead the Police Force in meeting the challenges ahead."

Lee also paid tribute to Siu, who retired after serving as commissioner since June 2021 and expressed “heartfelt appreciation” to him.

“Siu has made commendable efforts in maintaining Hong Kong as one of the safest cities in the world,” Lee said.

Lee praised Siu for implementing effective measures to combat fraud and other crimes, adding that the police force has continued to excel as a "world-class law enforcement agency" under his command.

Chow, 52, becomes the 10th ethnic Chinese leader of the force since the city’s handover in 1997. The 30-year veteran is known for his role in quelling the 2019 social unrest.

Chow joined the force as an inspector in 1995, spending much of his early career in criminal investigations at district, regional, and headquarters levels.

His expertise in intelligence gathering led to a 2012 secondment to Interpol’s General Secretariat in Lyon, France, where he served as a criminal intelligence officer.

Promoted to superintendent in 2010, he later headed the Criminal Intelligence Bureau as senior superintendent in 2013. 

By 2016, he took command of the Yau Tsim Mong district, a hotspot for protests, after being promoted to chief superintendent.

Chow’s leadership was tested during Hong Kong’s 2019 pro-democracy protests.

As deputy commander of the Kowloon West region, he coordinated operations against demonstrators, including the high-profile siege of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in November of that year. 

The two-week standoff, marked by petrol bombs and violent clashes, ended with 1,377 arrests -- an operation Chow later called one of his "most challenging."

He became Assistant Commissioner of Police (Operations) in February 2020, shifted to personnel management later that year, and by 2021, he was named senior assistant commissioner overseeing criminal and security operations.

In April 2022, he reached the deputy commissioner rank, first managing administration before transitioning to operations in August 2023.

His recent work included stress-testing Hong Kong’s new Kai Tak Sports Park as head of a cross-departmental task force.

Educated at the National Academy of Governance in Beijing, Harvard University, and College of Policing in the United Kingdom, Chow emphasized bridging generational gaps within the force in a 2024 interview with police publication OffBeat, during which he stressed the need to "understand young officers’ mindsets" to foster unity. 

(Ayra Wang)