Andrew Kan appointed as new head of security

Assistant commissioner of police Andrew Kan Kai-yan has been promoted to director of the national security department, replacing former director Frederic Choi Chin-pang, who was embroiled in a massage parlor scandal in March last year.

A recent update on the police force's website noted that the promotion took place in December last year, four months after Choi was transferred and relocated to director of personnel and training of the force.

Kan and another assistant commissioner, Kelvin Kong Hok-lai, have been the acting directors of the department since Choi's August transfer.

Kan, 52, was promoted to the rank of assistant commissioner of police in September 2019 and was in charge of service quality. He was appointed to the national security department in September last year.

Joining as an inspector in 1991, Kan had previously served as district commander of the airport, district commander of Wan Chai and deputy regional commander of Hong Kong Island.

During his career, he attended overseas and mainland development courses at various training institutes including China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong, Peking University, Scottish Police College and UK Royal College of Defence Studies.

Choi, 51, was put on leave after he was caught in a massage parlor raid on March 19 last year. During the operation, three women and a man were arrested and charged with running a prostitution business in Wan Chai.

The police later said there was no evidence to suggest Choi did anything illegal or immoral, and the Department of Justice also said Choi's actions were not a criminal offense. But the case has been passed to the Secretariat on Civil Service Discipline under the Civil Service Bureau for further investigation after a primary discipline review.

Meanwhile, Choi was transferred to another post - director of personnel and training of the police force - and resumed duty on August 11.

Both Kan and Choi were among a group of Hong Kong and mainland officials sanctioned by the United States in January following the mass arrests of pro-democracy activists.