Tsui Po-ko
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Tsui Po-ko (徐步高; May 17th, 1970 – March 17th, 2006) was a Hong Kong Police Officer, murderer and bank robber. He was responsible for 3 cases of murder and was killed during an ambush with two other police officers in March 2006.
Biography edit
Tsui was born in Fujian and moved to Hong Kong with his mother in 1978. He attended and graduated from a local Government Secondary Technical School.
Tsui joined the Royal Hong Kong Police in 1993 and was considered an outstanding cadet, winning the "silver whistle" award. During his time as an officer, he attempted to promote to Sergeant rank on four different occasions but was never promoted due to "his stubbornness and difficulty in communication". He also applied to join the Airport Security Unit three times but failed evert atempt.
Criminal Life edit
Murder of Police Officer Leung Shing-yan edit
On March 14th, 2001 noon, Lei Muk Shue Police Station received a noise complaint from a nearby estate. 24-year-old Leung Shing-yan responded to the call alone as his partner was still havign lunch. Leung's final radio call was received when he reported that he had arrived at the flat and nobody was responding to his knocks. He was then ambushed by Tsui and shot five times at close range. Paramedics were rushed to the scene but Leung was declared dead upon arrival, and his revolver was also missing from the scene.
Bank Robbery edit
On December 5th, 2001, Tsui carried out an armed bank robbery alone. 31-year-old security guard Zafar Iqbal Khan struggled with Tsui but was shot three times. Tsui fled the bank with HK$490,000 and US$1,000 into a nearby shopping arcade. The police launched a manhunt but failed to identify or catch Tsui.
Police Ambush edit
On March 17th, 2006, 28-year-old police officer Sin Ka-keung and 33-year-old officer Tsang Kwok-hang were ambushed by Tsui while on patrol in a pedestrian subway. According to Sin, the two attempted to approach the ssuspicious looking Tsui but Tsui fired at both of them when they approached, striking Sin in the head and left leg and mortally wounding Tsang in the head. Sin and Tsang returned fire, with Sin missing 2 shots while Tsang hiting Tsui with 5 shots to the torso and head. Tsang and Tsui were rushed to nearby hospitals but were both declared dead within an hour.
The revolver used by Tsui in the ambush was also confirmed to be the missing revolver from Leung.
Victims edit
- Leung Shing-yan (24)
- Zafar Iqbal Khan (31)
- Tsang Kwok-hang (33)
Controversy edit
Many people question the legitimacy of Tsui's ambush, an anonymous witness claimed that there was a fourth person during the police ambush. This was further proven by Tsui's autopsy report, as the doctors said that the angles of the bullets fired into Tsui were rather unusual. The surveillance camera records of the subway were also never retrieved as well. The Police Force later held a press conference and stated that the suspect Tsui Po-ko planned the incident, the purpose may be to snatch the two partolling officers' guns, and also pointed out that there was no "fourth person" at the crime scene.
The Coroner's Court held a coroner's hearing on Leung's, Khan's and Tsui's death as a bundle one year after Tsui's death. During the 37-day hearing, none of the jury raised any questions and the Court ruled that Tsui was "lawfully killed". There were many disputes over the Court;s ruling, and some legal professionals even questioned the trial's fairness.
A&E Networks' Crime & Investigation documented Tsui's case in their show "Anatomy Of A Crime: Hong Kong's Rogue Cop". However due to the sensitivity of the topic, the director was denined entry into Hong Kong.
Tsui's political view was also a common topic online. Tsui actively participated in annual pro-democracy protest rallies, and gained attention when he was featured in an News article in 2003. Hong Kong independent reseacher Henry Chan and solicitor Mary Jean Reimer would actively investigate and talk about their findings on radio shows but stopped after receiving warning messages from the Police Department.
On July 21st, 2019, a mob attack occured in Hong Kong. An armed mob of suspected triad members dressed in white indiscriminately attacked civilians on streets with steel rods and rattan canes. Despite over 20,000 emergency calls were made, the Police arrived to the scene 40 minutes after the attack and the mobs have already left the scene. Assistant District Commander of Crime Yau Nai-keung stated that colleagues did not see any armed people nearby despite multiple photos and videos showed the Police and white dressed men walking together. After investigation and re-re-examination of Tsui's case by Henry Chan, he identified that Yau was the deputy in charge of Tsui's investigation team. After Tsui's death, Yau quickly raised in ranks which sparked suspicion regarding Tsui's death, Yau's relationship with triads and other insider's stories.