Type Report: My Ambition

My future career is to be a police officer. I have chosen this as my ambition because in doing so I can help the community prevent and solve crimes to make it a better place to live in. I have always wanted to help the community but never had the chance to. I will also know more about how crimes happen and prevent it from happening around me and will also make me a more courageous and disciplined individual but I was also influenced by television shows about the police preventing and solving crimes. There are sometimes newspapers headlines of crimes that are unsolved but could only read about it and not help in the investigations. The happiness of knowing that you have just solved a case and are keeping the nation and its community safe and sound is immeasurable. Although all police officers are putting their lives on the line I believe it is for a good cause.
A police officers’ job is uphold the law, maintain order and keep the peace in the Republic of Singapore, ensuring the security, survival and success of Singapore, be a police force that inspires the world. They also have to be united and care for the community, instill fear to those hoping to commit crimes and create disorder and be ready to deal with any threats to the safety and security of Singapore. The Singapore Police Force was formed in 1819 with only 11 men under the command of Francis James Bernard, son-in-law of William Farquhar, and was kept in operation with a monthly budget of $300. Manpower constraints meant that the men had to perform a wide range of roles, and required the help of headmen amongst the various ethnic communities to maintain orderliness on the streets. This partnership with the community was in line with Sir Stamford Raffles’ vision of a thriving colony largely self-regulated by locals, with the British masters administrating it by indirect rule. Murders, mass riots, kidnappings, arson and other serious crimes became commonplace in the next four decades since the colony's founding. Faced with violent acts of crime which may involve thousands, such as the funeral riots of 1846 involving 9,000 members from the Ghee Hin and Ghee Hock secret societies, the 300 police force was woefully incapable of bringing the situation under control, and often had to call in the army for assistance. The escalating number of serious crimes prompted the need for stronger legislation to deter would-be criminals. They were headed by Europeans and containing mostly Malay and Indian officers, the force had little Chinese representation as the military and policing professionals were traditionally shunned by the Chinese community, which in turn impaired policing efforts amongst the large Chinese populace. In 1843, the force comprised a sitting magistrate doubling up as a superintendent, three European constables and an assistant native constable, 14 officers and 110 policemen. With a total strength of no more than 150 men, they were compelled to avoid direct intervention in these mass acts of violence, or else risking almost total annihilation. A repeat of this scenario occurred in 1851, when lingering displeasure against Roman Catholic ethnic Chinese erupted into major rioting leaving over 500 Chinese dead. The army was called in again, although it involved having to induct Indian convicts into military service almost overnight. In 1854, twelve consecutive days of violence sparked by a dispute between the Hokkiens and Teochews disrupted trade. This particular incident led to the formation of the military's Singapore Rifle Corps on 8 July 1854, the earliest predecessor of the Singapore Armed Forces' People's Defence Force today. Criminal violence was not merely in the domain of the ethnic Chinese, however. Rivalries between Malay princes and communities also often result in acts of violence, which prompted the passing of Singapore's first arms law in March 1823 restricting the right to bear arms to 24 of the Malay Sultan's followers. Nearly two centuries later, these anti-arms laws continue to be strictly enforced, resulting in a society relatively free from firearms-related criminal offences.
The requirements for me to join is to have the minimum educational qualification of 5 GCE ‘O’ Level credits or NITEC, be at least 18 years old, be certified medically fit, having PES status of A or B, have good eyesight and normal colors vision and lastly, be a Singapore Citizen or Singapore Permanent Resident. To get at least 5 GCE ’O’ Level credit, I will have to work hard in my studies to achieve it. To be certified medically fit, I will have to work out more to keep myself fit. In addition one also has to have discipline, be able to know when to be serious, have the will to lead, have initiative and have the courage to do what is right. While on national service I can be a police national serviceman which will be my final steps towards being a police officer. I will have to prepare myself starting from today for the expectations needed to get this job.
My future career prospects are to work hard for the country and in the process be promoted so that I can become a leader to lead and guide others. Police Officers will get promoted to Senior Police Officer when they obtain their degree in the Force their performance and potential are good enough. Successful Police Officer candidates are eligible for studies sponsorship in NITEC or diploma studies for serving officers to upgrade themselves on a part-time basis. The courses available are GCE ‘A’ Level, Diploma in Management and Police Studies, Advance Diploma in Police Studies and Bachelor Degree in Justice Studies. Officers can I take up part-time studies as long as they do not clash with their working hours and may be granted unrecorded leave of up to 12 days a year for examinations provided if the course is directly relevant to the officer's work and must form part of the officer's training plan in the work review form. The officer must also have a good performance grade and must be confirmed in service before he/she is eligible for unrecorded leave. I will also get to use weapons such as the Taurus Model 85, Monadnock PR-21 side handle baton also known as the T-baton and palmtops (called mPOD) developed from the Hewlett-Packard Jornada 928, which allows officers to screen persons and vehicles on the go without needing to rely on radio communication to help in the fight against criminals.
In conclusion, I hope to get the job and be one of the hardworking police officers in the force, in the process help the whole community though I have 2 more choices of jobs to fall back on. It will be a job both my parents and relatives will be proud of and should be supportive of the decision I have made. I think this occupation will still be relevant in the near future as humans are still needed to tackle the problems criminals try to create in the community. But for now, I will still have to work hard in my studies and get grades as good as possible because this the first step to get any formal occupation and not disappoint the high hopes my family have on me.

Career Fair 2007

On 2nd March 2007 at 1.45 all the secondary 2 to 5 students in our school took the school bus to go to the Career Fair 2007 which was held at Suntec City's exhibition hall. The exhibition hall was large in size and there were many booths for various types of jobs and universities. It was very crowded with both those who are really hunting for a job and students as well. Our purpose there was to complete a worksheet on the 3 jobs that we are interested in and find out more about them. There were many interesting jobs that I never thought would have booths there such as a prison officer, casino professional and radio deejay. From participating in this event, I learnt more about the jobs and the variety that is available. For example, I recieved many pamphlets introducing their respective jobs, this gave me a rough idea of the qualification or experience required to get the job and what the job scope is. Although one of my choices in mind, a game designer, was not there, I gained interest in the radio deejaying job, having listened to radio for many years, I hope to be able to do the same. If this fails, I will not worry because I still have 2 other choices which is to be a police officer or game designer.