Police officers outshone bureaucrats and won Beijing’s trust to take on Hong Kong’s top jobs after they showcased their qualities and overcame difficult circumstances during the social unrest of 2019, according to the force’s outgoing deputy chief. In an interview with the Post , Oscar Kwok Yam-shu also rejected critics’ accusations that Hong Kong was being turned into a police state, with former No 2 official John Lee Ka-chiu, who rose through the force’s ranks before being appointed a government minister, becoming the sole candidate in the coming leadership election . The deputy commissioner, who retires from the force on Wednesday after 31 years of service, described such accusations as “irresponsible” and “absurd”, pointing to the lack of a distinct definition of what even constituted a police state. “Does it mean the government carries out mass surveillance such as installing CCTV cameras in the streets? Then London has even tighter surveillance than Hong Kong,” the 56-year-old said. “We don’t even have a government-controlled surveillance system.” He said Hong Kong still enjoyed freedom of speech and people had a right to protest as long as they obeyed the law. Lee, 64, a former deputy police chief, was appointed security minister in 2017, becoming the first such official to take up the city’s No 2 position as chief secretary in June last year. Former police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung succeeded Lee as secretary for security. Asked what made career police officers right for the city’s top jobs, Kwok said they happened to be in a position to showcase and accentuate their qualities during the 2019 social unrest by restoring order in difficult circumstances. The months-long protests, which were sparked by a now-withdrawn extradition bill in June 2019, resulted in the arrests of more than 10,200 people. More than 1,700 protesters and 600 officers were injured during the unrest. “At this juncture, I think the central government has seen what a few officers with a police background have been able to do and found themselves in a position to offer even more trust to these people to undertake more important responsibilities,” Kwok said. Hong Kong police ease entry for recruits by scrapping 7-year stay rule “I would say it’s a by-product of the times that we’re in. I’m sure there are plenty of other civil servants who possess the same kind of qualities. The question is whether they will have a chance to show these qualities and to gain the trust necessary for such appointments.” Kwok, who as one of three deputy commissioners is in charge of police management, attributed officers’ credentials to the force’s ethos, training them to be results-oriented – a governing strategy aimed at quickly solving deep-rooted problems which Lee proposed when he declared his candidacy for the May 8 chief executive election. It was ingrained in officers that it was a matter of duty to do their utmost to protect people, as well as to save lives and property, and keep the peace since taking their oath on the first day in the force, Kwok said. “Our first and foremost obsession, if you like, is to solve a problem if there is a problem. We ask ourselves whether we can actually help this poor citizen who is having a bad time … We’ll make use of all the necessary tools, laws and other resources to make sure that happens,” the veteran added. “We will stand out very quickly as someone who can deliver results. I am not saying policies and procedures are not important, but they have a limited utility … The trick is to know when to deviate from policies and procedures so that the ultimate objectives desired by those policies and procedures are actually met.” He also stressed that patriotism must never be compromised in the name of “political neutrality”, which all civil servants must maintain, as it was one’s natural and basic civil responsibility to love their country. Being politically neutral did not mean a civil servant could not have a view or stand on a political issue, he added, but their beliefs should not impede the performance of their official duties in a professional and fair manner. Kwok, who joined the force in 1990 as an inspector, was head of the Foundation Training Centre of the Hong Kong Police College between 2007 and 2010. He became director of management services in 2017 upon his promotion to senior assistant commissioner. In March 2019, Kwok was promoted to deputy police chief. Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police Chow Yat-ming, 49, will succeed Kwok as deputy commissioner with effect from Thursday. There has been speculation Kwok will head the newly established Civil Service College after he retires from the force. But he stopped short of commenting on the rumours and whether he would join the coming government’s cabinet. “I am still very capable of serving society. It’s incumbent upon me to continue the contribution if there is a post that fits. Even if I am not appointed to perform any public duties, I can still contribute to society in other ways.”