During the administration of President Corazon Aquino, he was appointed the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), serving from 1989 to 1992.

Three years into his tenure in the Senate, he resigned in order to run for mayor of Manila, which he won and served two consecutive terms from 2007 to 2013.

[5] Due to his tough stance against suspected criminals, Lim earned the nickname "Dirty Harry",[6] and has been depicted numerous times in local action films within his lifetime.

When Lim began work in the police in the 1952, one of his first accomplishments was arresting future senator Robert Barbers for illegal possession of firearms.

After retiring from the police, Lim was appointed Director of the National Bureau of Investigation, where he lobbied for more funding and pay increases for agents and other employees.

[12] Lim ran a failed bid for the presidency as the Liberal Party nominee in the 1998 election, garnering only 8.7% of the vote and finishing fifth in a field of eleven candidates.

In January 2000, his rival in the presidential election, President Joseph Estrada, appointed him as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government.

As a senator, Lim introduced legislation to bring back mandatory ROTC, but this bill did not receive any co-sponsors.

[16] On July 16, 2007, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief General Oscar Calderon asked him to revoke his ban to prevent militants from marching there.

Alcoreza accused Lim of a violent takeover of a slaughterhouse in Tondo on July 11, and illegal dispersal of protest.

The councilors unanimously denounced the violent treatment by Lim's Manila Police District (MPD) towards Alcoreza during the city government's takeover of the slaughterhouse.

Together, they defeated Lim's predecessor, Atienza, and his running mate, 6th District Councilor Bonjay Isip-Garcia.

However, Atienza filed an electoral protest, citing discrepancies in the election returns and the consolidation and canvassing system.

Justice Secretary Leila De Lima was tasked to lead an investigation on the incident and determine whose negligence led to the tragedy.

But, according to a report conducted by the late DILG Secretary Jesse Robredo that was released in April 2013, he was found to have been "administratively liable" for the incident.

[27] In 2013, he sought another term as mayor, with actor and 6th District Councilor Lou Veloso as his running mate but they were defeated by Estrada and Moreno, respectively.

With his team onboard researcher Joseph Arcaya, Executive Producer Dingdong Marco, DZMM Station Manager Angelo Palmones, and attorney Rey Bagatsing, the radio program helped solve many unsolved cases which became the last resort of the victims of crimes not only in Metro Manila but the entire Philippines.

[29] In 2015, Lim returned to the radio airwaves as co-anchor of Katapat at Karancho, 8TriMedia's morning commentary program aired on DZRJ-AM.

[31] Lim attempted another comeback as mayor and ran in the 2019 elections, chasing a fifth non-consecutive term against Estrada again and his former vice-mayor Isko Moreno.