Andy Tsang

Tsang joined the Royal Hong Kong Police Force in 1978 as a Probationary Inspector. From 1993 to 1995, he was seconded to the Metropolitan Police Service in London as a Superintendent. He was promoted to Senior Superintendent (Crime – New Territories North Headquarters) in 1996 and to District Commander (Wan Chai) in 1998 with the rank of Chief Superintendent. He was subsequently appointed head of the Organised Crime and Triad Bureau.

In 2003, Tsang was promoted to Assistant Commissioner (Information Systems Wing) in 2003. In February 2005, he was promoted to Senior Assistant Commissioner (Director of Personnel and Training). He was subsequently appointed Director of Operations. He was promoted to Deputy Commissioner (Management) in January 2008 and appointed Deputy Commissioner (Operations) in March 2010.

In January 2011, the Hong Kong government announced that Tsang was to succeed Tang King-shing as Commissioner of Police.{{cite web|url=http://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/po/cp.htm|title=Mr Tsang Wai-hung, PDSM, Commissioner of Police|publisher=Government of Hong Kong|date=January 2011|accessdate=9 August 2011}}{{cite news|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=106833&sid=30834205&con_type=3 |title=New show of force |first=Dennis |last=Chong |date=7 January 2011 |newspaper=The Standard |accessdate=9 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110108133827/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=30&art_id=106833&sid=30834205&con_type=3 |archivedate=8 January 2011 }}

Tsang retired on 4 May 2015, and was replaced by Stephen Lo Wai-chung, promoted from deputy commissioner in charge of force management.

Tsang has been nominated by the Government of the People's Republic of China to fill in the position of Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Director-General of the United Nations Office in Vienna (UNOV) in June 2019, upon Yury Fedotov's retirement after more than 9 years service. If he is appointed, Tsang will become the second person from Hong Kong ever leading a major United Nations component.

After his retirement from the police, Tsang joined Chen Hsong Group as a strategy officer in 2016. In 2018, Tsang was appointed as a non-executive director of Transport International, the parent company of Kowloon Motor Bus and Long Win Bus.{{cite news |url=https://topick.hket.com/article/1981298/%E6%9B%BE%E5%81%89%E9%9B%84%E5%B9%B4%E8%96%AA%E9%80%BE150%E8%90%AC%E3%80%80%E8%AD%A6%E9%9A%8A%E3%80%8C%E5%89%8D%E4%B8%80%E5%93%A5%E3%80%8DPackage%E6%AF%94%E6%8B%BC |title=曾偉雄年薪逾150萬　警隊「前一哥」Package比拼 |work=Hong Kong Economic Times |date=2018-01-02 |accessdate=2018-01-08 |language=zh-hk}}

Soon after he became commissioner, during the 2011 anti-budget demonstration, an 8-year-old boy was pepper-sprayed in the eye, according to police, accidentally. Under pressure to make an apology on behalf of the police force, Tsang declined, saying any apology is something of a fantasy (天方夜譚).{{cite web |url=http://www.hkdailynews.com.hk/news.php?id=147084 |title=新報網站 |publisher=Hkdailynews.com.hk |accessdate=30 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006142218/http://www.hkdailynews.com.hk/news.php?id=147084 |archive-date=6 October 2011 |url-status=dead }}

On 23 August 2011 there were calls for Andy Tsang to resign following the controversy regarding the visit of Vice Premier Li Keqiang in August 2011 during which student protesters were prevented from making themselves heard in Li's vicinity and detained.{{cite news|url=http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=114432&sid=33472130&con_type=1&d_str=20110823&fc=1 |title=Cops to act on Li security gripes |first=Natalie |last=Wong |date=23 August 2011 |newspaper=The Standard |accessdate=23 August 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019043705/http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?we_cat=11&art_id=114432&sid=33472130&con_type=1&d_str=20110823&fc=1 |archivedate=19 October 2012 }}

Known to be a hard-liner, Tsang's unpopularity is borne out by his nickname, "The Vulture"{{noteTag|“Vulture” ({{zh|t=禿鷹|labels=no}}) literally means “bald hawk” in Chinese and this nickname was based on the fact that he was bald and his war hawk-style of governance.}}.{{cite web|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-polices-use-of-tear-gas-during-protests-hurts-reputation-of-asias-finest-1412398431|title=Hong Kong Police's Use of Tear Gas During Protests Hurts Reputation of 'Asia's Finest'|author=Te-Ping Chen, Lorraine Luk and Prudence Ho|date=4 October 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal}} Under Tsang, police tactics and handling have come under increased criticism for heavy-handedness; incidents of police harassment of protesters have increased.[http://www.scmp.com/comment/article/1551122/hong-kong-police's-harassment-of-protesters-tarnishes-good-name-asias-finest "Hong Kong police's harassment of protesters tarnishes good name of Asia's Finest]{{Dead link|date=May 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, South China Morning Post. In particular, since the start of the Umbrella Revolution, police methods and tactics have led to accusations that it has been turned into a political tool by the government, and that the police impartiality is no more; thus the governance system is seeing an erosion of the rule of law in favour of "rule by law", where the police are a mechanism for oppression of citizens.Dapiran, Antony (15 Dec 2014). [http://www.businessspectator.com.au/article/2014/12/15/china/mixed-legacy-hong-kongs-umbrella-movement "Mixed legacy for Hong Kong's Umbrella Movement"], Business Spectator.{{cite web|url=http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-hong-kong-police-charge-leaves-protesters-injured-2014-10|title=Hong Kong police charge leaves protesters injured|date=18 October 2014|work=Business Insider|access-date=7 April 2015|archive-date=27 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150227092621/http://www.businessinsider.com/afp-hong-kong-police-charge-leaves-protesters-injured-2014-10|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/asia/la-fg-hong-kong-protests-20141209-story.html|title=Hong Kong police to remove protesters from streets after court order|date=9 December 2014|work=Los Angeles Times}} Tsang was conspicuously absent following the eruption of student protests and the start of the Umbrella Revolution where many questions were raised with regard to the Hong Kong Police Force using excessive force on protesters. This prolonged absence prompted speculation that he was gravely ill. Three weeks later, on 18 October 2014, Tsang dispelled concerns that he was deceased after appearing in front of the press to comment on the Occupy Central development. Fung Wai-wah, president of the Professional Teachers' Union, remarked that "the police have made themselves enemy of the people", literally overnight.{{cite web|url=http://chinaworker.info/en/2014/10/01/8245/|title=Hong Kong: Massive anti-government protests after attempted police crackdown|date=1 October 2014|publisher=chinaworker.info}}

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{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.police.gov.hk/ppp_en/01_about_us/welcome.html Hong Kong Police Force website]
• [http://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/po/cp.htm Hong Kong Government website profile]

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{{s-bef|before = Tang King Shing}}

{{s-ttl|title = Commissioner of Police of Hong Kong|years = 2011-2015}}

{{s-aft|after = Stephen Lo}}

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Category:Living people

Category:Government officials of Hong Kong

Category:Hong Kong Police commissioners

Category:Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star

Category:1958 births

Category:Members of the 13th Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Category:Members of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

Category:Police officers from British Hong Kong

Category:Alumni of the University of Leicester