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Top cop to resign over shooting

National Police Administration (NPA) Director-General Chang Si-liang (張四良) yesterday said he would submit his resignation first thing Monday morning to take full responsibility for the assassination attempt on President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) and Vice President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮).

"I take the incident seriously. It is truly a disgrace for me as the top police officer of the country," Chang said.

"I feel that I have let the president down because he has constantly supported me and promoted me to where I am. As a result, I shall take responsibility," he said.

Chang told reporters that he had informed his superior, Minister of the Interior Yu Cheng-hsien (余政憲), on more than one occasion that he wanted to step down in the wake of the incident.

However, because of rolling protests by pan-blue camp supporters in front of the Presidential Office and at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, he had decided to delay his resignation until the situation was under control.

In addition to resigning, Chang said he would retire as well.

"It is now time for me to leave," he said.

Chang has been the nation's top police officer for only nine months. He has worked to establish good connections and relations with the media as well as with other government agencies, building a solid reputation in the process.

If Chang's eventual letter of resignation is accepted, eight high-ranking officers will vie to replace him. They are the NPA's three Deputy Directors-General, Liu Shih-lin (劉世林), Shieh Ing-dan (謝銀黨) and Hung Sheng-kun, Taipei City Police Department Commissioner Wang Cho-chiun (王卓鈞), Kaohsiung City Police Department Commissioner Hsieh Hsiu-neng (謝秀能), Criminal Investigation Bureau Commissioner Hou You-yi (侯友宜), Central Police University President Tsai Teh-hui (蔡德輝) and Aviation Police Bureau Commissioner Wu Chen-chi (吳振吉).

Wang and Tsai are considered the top contenders for the post because Liu and Shieh are of advancing years, while Hung, Hsieh, Hou and Wu have only held their current posts for less than one year.
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