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Edith Lin

Ng Kang-chung

The Hong Kong Police College has become the first government department to offer a bachelor’s degree programme, with the force set to roll out the course for rank-and-file officers by the end of this year.
Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming announced the development on Saturday, after the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications approved the college’s Bachelor of Policing (Honours) (Security and Criminal Investigation) programme last month.
“We hope that the programme can start by the end of this year. Students will take around three to four years to complete it. With this bachelor’s degree, they can sign up for master’s courses if they are interested,” he said after attending a passing-out parade at the college in Wong Chuk Hang.
He said the programme, which is free, would target rank-and-file officers.
The curriculum will cover foundation and criminal investigation training, internships including frontline patrols, and language courses. Students will also be expected to complete a thematic report before graduating.
“The Police College has become an institution that can confer a bachelor’s degree, and it is also the first government department that is qualified to do so,” Chow said.
According to the Education Bureau’s website, the programme is a part-time in-house training course valid from last month until August 2031.
Established in 2006, the college was originally founded as the Police Training School in 1948. It provides various types of training, including a foundation programme for recruits and specialised and generic competency courses for serving officers.


Chow said police had so far recruited 30 probationary inspectors and 362 police constables in the 2026-27 financial year. The police force began a recruitment drive at local universities this month.
The force has struggled to meet its recruitment targets since 2020. It has scrapped the minimum height and weight requirements, while candidates can wear glasses or contact lenses when taking eye tests.
Applicants who failed public examinations can also take a new Chinese- and English-language written test to qualify.
As of March 2025, the force’s vacancy rate was 17.4 per cent. It aimed to recruit 130 probationary inspectors and 1,140 police constables in the 2025-26 financial year.
Lawmaker and former police officer Joe Chan Cho-kwong hailed the programme.
“It not only helps equip our police officers with the knowledge to cope with new challenges in the new era, it also provides a promotion pathway for frontline officers,” he said.
“The force has been eager to upgrade the general quality of its members. Society has changed. Policing must also change to address new technological, social and structural realities.
“We need a new generation of effective officers and visionary leaders to meet the challenges that are faced in a 21st century community.”
Chan, who sits on the Legislative Council’s security panel, encouraged serving officers to take the course whenever practicable and said he believed it would be popular.
“If our officers only like to stay on patrol and do field work, rather than upgrade themselves or seek promotion to take up senior or managerial roles, I don’t think they are the people the force wants,” Chan added.
The minimum academic requirement for a police constable is level 2 in five subjects in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (HKDSE).
Recruits with a degree usually opt to apply to become inspectors.
The force used to train recruits and officers at the former Police Training School. Courses focused heavily on practical field skills, discipline and the basic legal knowledge required for beat and station duties.
After the school was upgraded to a college in 2006, its courses were revised to cover leadership training and also provide a pathway for frontline officers to pursue further studies. The force partnered with the then Open University of Hong Kong, now Hong Kong Metropolitan University, to deliver modules in the foundation training course for police constable recruits.


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Law and Crime

Police chief Joe Chow says force hopes Bachelor of Policing (Honours) (Security and Criminal Investigation) course can start by year-end


Police chief Joe Chow says force hopes Bachelor of Policing (Honours) (Security and Criminal Investigation) course can start by year-end.


Hong Kong Police College becomes first government unit to roll out degree course

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Police chief Joe Chow says force hopes Bachelor of Policing (Honours) (Security and Criminal Investigation) course can start by year-end

Police chief Joe Chow says force hopes Bachelor of Policing (Honours) (Security and Criminal Investigation) course can start by year-end