Hong Kong’s anti-corruption agency seeks 50 new officers, refuses to ease criteria
‘We think that challenges will only get more complex and the situation will only get tougher,’ academy director Paul Lau says at learning event
Paul Lau Chi-ho, the director of the ICAC’s Hong Kong International Academy Against Corruption, said the watchdog was confident it could fill the vacancies and did not plan to follow other disciplined services in easing recruitment criteria.
Lau was speaking on Saturday, the first day of the agency’s weekend-long learning event, where potential applicants can find out more about the work involved and undergo a physical fitness test at the North Point headquarters. It said around 1,000 spots to attend the event were filled.
According to Lau, the ICAC hopes to recruit 10 commission against corruption officers and 40 assistant commission against corruption officers.
“This is due to our estimate of our vacancies. We do hope to replenish the vacancies that were generated due to natural attrition or colleagues leaving the ICAC early due to various reasons,” he said. “This is why we set this target.”
The agency’s estimated vacancy rate as of April 1 this year is 7 per cent, which is roughly similar to figures from previous years.
Lau also rejected the possibility of easing hiring requirements, saying the work was only going to become more difficult.