He was encouraged by his uncle to pursue a career in law, but gave up a university place in London to join the Royal Hong Kong Police Force.
He served in Hong Kong for eight years, starting as a constable in the Tsim Sha Tsui district, and eventually investigating complex fraud in the Commercial Crime Bureau.
[1] In 1997 Hadgkiss was invited to Toronto to appear before a Royal Commission examining the wrongful conviction of a man for first degree murder, assisting the Commissioner in formulating recommendations to improve the administration of criminal justice in Ontario.
Hadgkiss was made a Winston Churchill Fellow[3] in 1989, after which he spent five months in Northern Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, England, the United States of America and Canada studying Comparative Methods for Combating Organised Crime.
During his secondment to the Wood Royal Commission, Hadgkiss was awarded the Australian Police Medal (APM) for distinguished service in the 1995 Queen’s Birthday Honours List.