Commissioned!

I think the term, "From Boyz to Men" can be applied appropriately to me now. Almost a year ago on Jan 13th, i enlisted into the Army in what was to be an eventful and unforgettable experience. 3 months later, i went over to the Police Force. From a fresh newbie & blur recruit to one that understands the civil service, rank structures, politics and of course, footdrills much much better. Commissioning means one thing - freedom that us NSFs sorely sought after. This somewhat joyous occasion for me is dampened only by the fact that it rained for the whole day and our passing out parade was cancelled. A passing out ceremony was conducted instead. Everyone was terribly disappointed as we had trained hard for this parade, with our RSM even incoporating a section of slow march during the march past. Nonetheless, there are now 40 new Inspectors in the Police Force now. Basically these are a recap of my year....

Basic military Training
This can be said as the most exciting time of my year thus far. Landing in Tekong was albeit intimidating initially, but thankfully i adapted to it quickly and enjoyed the many wonderful experiences. From SOCs to field camps, from endurance training runs to circuit trainings, from stripping a M-16 to packing my standard battle order, this had made me a more useful and fitter person. In the process, solid friendships were forged and valuable experiences were gained. Also, not to forget the "tekan" sessions we had with various unreasonable instructors, Whiskey Platoon 4 will forever be in my memory.

Police Officer Cadet Course
I was relatively sceptical about my post initially as i had absolutely no clue as to why i would be posted to police. I was even thinking that i have to start from scratch and pass out eventually only as a corporal. Morever, i have no clue about the Police Force - only that they uphold the law.

Junior Term Bar
This is the period where we are always bullied by the Fitness Instructors as we are newbies in the field of the SPF. Here, we studied PPPO (Police, Procedures and Practises Order) and the Penal Code, attended Police Defensive Tactics and also learnt how to fire the laser-aided Taurus Revolver. We also started training drills as the Police Guard-Of-Honour Contingent for National Day Parade at Khatib camp. Subsequentially, trainings were held at the national stadium where we spent most of our Saturdays for the months of June, July & August. Tough trainings resulted in a perfect parade that everyone in the contingent was proud of. It was certainly a good experience, but seriously, no one present there would do it again.

Senior Term Bar
As senior cadets, we had our 2 weeks attachment at various NPCs (Neighbourhood Police Centre). I was attached to Serangoon NPC in Foxtrot Division and it was certainly a very fun and good experience. I managed to attend to several interesting cases and it is on the ground that i learnt the most. Back to police Acadamy, we studied General Law, Criminal Procedure Code, Criminal Investigation and Basic Staff Work, where for every subject, we had to sit for an MCQ and an essay paper. During this period of time, my juniors came into PA and it marked our soon to be departure from there. We then had a 4 day self organised camp at NPCC campsite in Pulau Ubin followed immediately by a 12 day OBS course, also on Ubin. This 16 days was tough, but it was not about to break us. Next major event is our commissioning where, a pity, it rained and was cancelled. However we had a good dining-in dinner at the Senior Police Officer's Mess (SPOM) and we passed out proudly as NSPIs.

In retrospect, it has been a good year where i have seriously learnt alot about the SAF, the SPF and the civil service and definitely, myself. I'll still have another 2 weeks attachment on the ground before going to my final posting, which is to be a Staff Officer. Hopefully, i'll ORD a much more well-refined, knowledgable and better person.



































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