Joe Chow to lead police force

Kelvin Wan

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 Chow's shoes.

Chow, 52, joined the force in 1995 as an inspector of police and was promoted to superintendent in 2010, serving in the Crime Wing Headquarters. 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 deputy in command upon promotion to senior superintendent in 2013. He advanced to chief superintendent and commanded the bureau in 2016.

In 2017, Chow served as district commander of Yau Tsim District and was subsequently appointed deputy regional commander of Kowloon West Region in early 2019. In June, Chow worked alongside colleagues to maintain social order during the black-clad violence. He was commander of the police operation during the Polytechnic University riot in November 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 assistant commissioner in February 2020 and took charge of the operations wing and later the personnel wing. In January 2021, he became director of personnel and training upon promotion to senior assistant commissioner. By August, 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 Standard's sister publication, 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. Between 2013 and 2014, he was seconded to the Interpol General Secretariat in Lyon, France.

He assumed the office of assistant commissioner of police (crime) in October 2020. In April 2022, Yip became director of crime and security upon promotion to the rank of senior assistant commissioner.

Yip 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.

Director of Operations Joe Chan Tung, sources said, will take up Yip's post after the promotion. 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 current director Lui Kam-ho becomes director of operations.

Kenneth Kwok Ka-chuen, regional commander of Hong Kong Island, will take on the role of assistant commissioner of police for National Security. In turn, Regional Commander of Kowloon East Frank Law Yuet-wing will step into Kwok's previous position, according to sources, adding that Paul Ng Chi-chung will be promoted to the post of regional commander of Kowloon East.