Retiring Deputy Commissioner Urges Vigilance on National Security
Bastillepost · 2 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Deputy Commissioner of Police for National Security Kan Kai-yan (簡啟恩) is set to retire in September after 35 years of service, ending what he described as a police career he was proud of. In farewell remarks carried in the latest issue of Police Magazine, he said frontline officers had become more alert to national security risks in recent years, but warned that threats had not receded and that officers must keep the mission “internalised in the heart and expressed in action”.
Key Points
- Kan said a State Council Information Office white paper issued in February backed Hong Kong’s national security work and stressed that safeguarding national security is an ongoing task.
- He said Hong Kong still faces four major risks: “soft resistance”, external interference, overseas fugitives continuing activities endangering security, and lingering domestic terrorism threats.
- Kan described “soft resistance” as the most pervasive danger, citing cases involving allegedly seditious books and restaurant receipts printed with political slogans.
- Looking back on his career, he said protests had escalated amid geopolitical change and culminated in the 2019 unrest, pushing national security risks to a critical point.
- He said the Hong Kong National Security Law and the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance had closed legal gaps, while enforcement must ensure every violation is pursued.
Why It Matters
Kan’s remarks indicate that national security policing will remain embedded in routine frontline work even after his retirement, with officers expected to keep watching for less visible forms of alleged political infiltration. For Hong Kong readers, that points to continued official scrutiny of everyday channels such as publications and commercial messaging, not only overt protest activity.