The recruit who almost failed to make it
Cheung Chi-shum, who rose from the rank of police inspector to assistant commissioner, almost did not become a policeman.
He revealed in an interview with a Chinese-language newspaper in 2001 that he failed two recruitment tests in 1967 and 1968.
He had to gain weight to about 60kg and finally passed in his third test in June 1969, the same year the current police chief, Tsang Yam-pui, was recruited.
Among the crises he dealt with in his 34 years in the service was the 1993 Lan Kwai Fong stampede that killed 21 people.
He was Central district commander and in charge of the crowd management operation that night when 110 officers were deployed to monitor about 20,000 people celebrating the New Year.
Stricter police crowd control and crackdowns on under-age and outdoor drinking followed judicial probes into the stampede.
During 34 years of service, he held various posts including duties in the uniform branch and as a detective.
He had extensive experience, including posts in the Marine Police and the ID bureau. He was also the head of the traffic wing and worked as district commander in Wong Tai Sin and Central.
Cheung headed the force's traffic wing when new laws giving police more power in the fight against drink-drivers were enacted in 1995.
He was the deputy regional commander in New Territories North before he was promoted to his present rank in 1999 and took up the post of Assistant Commissioner (Operations) at police headquarters.
He took up the post of regional commander of Marine Police in November 2001.
He was awarded the Colonial Police Medal Badge of Honour in the Queen's New Year Honours List in 1995 for 25 years of service to the force.
In 2001, Cheung received the Hong Kong Police Medal for Distinguished Service from Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa in recognition of his outstanding performance and dedicated service to the police force.
