Winnie Chiu Leaves Police For Post Of Ombudsman

The first woman to reach the rank of deputy commissioner in the Hong Kong police force will retire on Monday. But Winnie Chiu's career is far from over -- she'll be taking over from Connie Lau as the city's new Ombudsman next month.

Chiu has been a police officer for her entire 36-year-career... Starting as an inspector as a 20-year-old in 1983, she steadily climbed the ranks -- all the way to deputy police chief.

But speaking to reporters on her last day at the office, Chiu says she's confident that women who follow in her footsteps can in future go one step further and reach the very top... noting that London's Metropolitan Police is headed by a woman.

She says she hadn't thought about taking on another job after retiring on Monday, until she was offered the job of Ombudsman -- where instead of managing Hong Kong's 35,000 strong police force, she'll set her focus on the entire government bureaucracy -- making sure that they're doing their jobs properly:

Some critics have questioned whether she's suitable for her new job... Democratic Party lawmaker James To, for one, says she was known as being one of the most bureaucratic officers in the force.

But Chiu says the skills she picked up as an officer -- investigation, management, and communication -- will serve her well in her new position. She also says she will listen to other peoples' views, and give it her best.