A shake-up at the top of the Hong Kong Police will begin later this week when deputy commissioner Andy Tsang Wai-hung is formally named as the new head of the force.
Long tipped for the top job, Tsang, 52, will succeed Tang King-shing, 56, who is due to retire in May but is taking pre-retirement leave.
Tsang, a respected investigator with wide and varied experience as a detective, will take over as commissioner on Tuesday. His appointment requires Beijing's approval, which should be a formality.
Senior assistant commissioner Xavier Tang Kam-moon, 54, is expected to be promoted to deputy commissioner, and assistant commissioner Stephen Lo Wai-Chung, 49, tipped eventually to succeed Tsang, will be promoted to senior assistant police commissioner.
Insiders say Tsang's five-year term will allow him to push through reforms and plan new strategies.
Tsang, who heads police operations, joined the force as an inspector in January 1978 after studying at Raimondi College in Mid-Levels.
He has a long background with the criminal investigation department (CID), which many believe will help the force address a lack of experienced CID officers, which has become an issue in recent years.
