Determined to fight crime

A brush with an armed gangster stiffened Ong Jin Wen’s resolve to be a crime fighter. The HOME Award (Polytechnic) recipient shares his thoughts. - By Jason Lee

It was a casual chat with a friend during his secondary days that helped spark Ong Jin Wen’s passion for upholding justice.

That friend had gushed over how cool it was being a gangster.

“I have zero tolerance for gangsters and their activities which pose a social threat to the community. The way he described his status as a new gang member made me determined to join the Singapore Police Force (SPF) and play a role in combating crime, especially gang-related activities,” said Mr Ong, 21.

That conversation was several years ago but his resolve did not waver.

A February 2009 encounter at Simei MRT station reinforced his decision.

“A gangster who was about 15 years old claimed that I stared at him, and whipped out a knife that was approximately 20 centimetres in length. We exchanged words and he challenged me to stay put as he sought reinforcements,” he recalled.



Photo by Jason Lee







Mr Ong Jin Wen, a recipient of the Home Team Merit Award(Polytechnic), on his determination in joining the Singapore Police Force. Prior to July 2010, Mr Ong had applied thrice to join the SPF without success




Several thoughts passed through Mr Ong’s mind at that juncture.

The first was to challenge the other party to a fight, which Mr Ong was confident of winning as the gangster was “smaller in size”.

The second option was to leave the scene quickly while the third was call the police.

Mr Ong chose to call the police.

Within 10 minutes, the suspect was arrested.

“I chose to call the police because I do not want to take things into my own hands. At the same time, I cannot let him off so easily. He was armed and was a danger to the community. I cannot allow the possibility of him stabbing others,” Mr Ong said.

Mr Ong, who is now pursuing a diploma in retail management at Temasek Polytechnic, is on his way to fulfilling that goal.

He was one of the 10 students who received the Home Team Merit Award(Polytechnic), or HOME Award (Polytechnic), in August 2010.

The programme sponsors successful applicants for a three-year full-time diploma course in the local five polytechnics. Upon graduation, these applicants will pursue a career with one of the Home Affairs Uniformed Services (HUS) of their choice.

For Mr Ong, the choice is clear: to become a regular police officer.

He had in fact applied to join the force even when he was still studying at the ITE College East in April 2008, and again in April 2009.

Despite his unsuccessful attempts, Mr Ong tried again in May 2009 when he applied for the inaugural HOME Award (Polytechnic).

He was again unsuccessful.

“I was disappointed to receive the letter of rejection after each of these applications, especially since I was not even shortlisted for any interview,” Mr Ong said.

He was not discouraged though.

“I was determined to join the force and hence I applied for the HOME Award again this year.”

In fact, when he received the letter sometime in July, he was prepared to face rejection once again.

“I told myself then: If I am rejected again, I will persevere and apply again next year … I am glad it was a letter of offer. I really feel my determination has paid off and I look forward to the day I begin my career in the police force.”

A faithful viewer of Crimewatch, Mr Ong said the popular monthly television programme inspired him to follow his dream.

“The way the police conducted their operations or investigations were simply inspiring! Whenever I missed an episode on television, I will watch it on YouTube.”

It’s not difficult to guess Mr Ong’s “dream” department within the SPF.

“I hope to join the Specialised Crime Division of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) one day as I have always been against secret society-related activities and other offences such as illegal betting syndicate and unlicensed money-lending,” he said.

Mr Ong acknowledged that it will not be easy to join the CID but he believes his determination, passion and hard work – which enabled
him to graduate from ITE College East with straight As – will also help him fulfil the ambition someday.

Reiterating one of the key messages highlighted by the National Crime Prevention Council in recent years, Mr Ong said: “Low Crime doesn't mean no Crime

Passion for Healthcare

A nursing student tells us why she has decided to embark on a career with the Singapore Civil Defence Force. By Jason Lee
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After more than a year since Ms Nurul Nadzirah Abdul Karim received the Home Team Merit Award (Polytechnic), or HOME Award, her friends and relatives still could not understand why she decided on a paramedic career with the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) over being a nurse.

They wondered if she would be able to cope with the demands of dealing with accident and emergency cases at incident sites as opposed to providing patient care in a hospital.

For the 21-year-old, her choice was clear.

“Every single day is about dealing with different situations at a different pace, unlike working in a hospital where it (work) might become routine after a while,” said Ms Nurul who is passionate about healthcare.

The Ngee Ann Polytechnic diploma in Health Sciences (Nursing) student wanted a vocation that required her to be “sharper in thinking, wiser in making decisions and quicker in action” since she would be dealing with emergency cases most of the time.

Photo by Tan Yi Wen

Ms Nurul Nadzirah Abdul Karim, winner of last year’s Home Team Merit Award (Polytechnic), hopes her nursing and paramedic training will mould her into a disciplined individual with “sharper critical thinking skills”.

Hence she opted to join the SCDF under the HOME Award scheme. Upon her graduation – expected to be in April 2012, Ms Nurul will spend the first 1½ years of her career training to become a paramedic. Besides three levels of paramedic courses, the training stint will also include an attachment to a fire station.

While she has opted for a career path that is different from most of her course mates, the lessons and skills Ms Nurul picked up during her nursing course will put her in good stead for a paramedic career.

One key lesson she has learnt is that the provision of care for someone goes beyond helping patients with tasks or treatments.

“For instance, I might be asked to shower a patient but that act in itself involves a lot of things. A person may look alright on the surface but look a little deeper, there could be many things that need attention,” she explained.

“This is what I find most beneficial about nursing training which can be applied to my future job as a paramedic because caring for someone is never about being focused on one area. Rather, it is about providing holistic care, especially in emergency situations.”

While Ms Nurul’s educational background will come in handy when she starts her paramedic career, she is under no illusion about the challenges that lie in front of her.

“In whatever I do, I expect challenges and setbacks along the way and I hope whatever comes my way will help to shape my character and make me a better and stronger person,” she said.

“When I was growing up, there were days when it got so bad that sometimes all I had was faith that things will get better,” she recalled. “I strongly believe that whatever that goes up, must come down and vice versa. Good days don’t last, so do bad days.”

Looking ahead, Ms Nurul envisions herself as a more disciplined individual with “sharper critical thinking skills” acquired from both her training as a nurse in school and as a paramedic with the SCDF.

She also hopes to pursue a degree course in paramedic sciences or emergency health sciences someday.

“I am interested to be a paramedic instructor someday because besides helping people, the next thing I love to do is to deliver knowledge,” she added.
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“Every single day is about dealing with different situations at different pace, unlike working in a hospital where it might become a routine after a while.”

- Ms Nurul Nadzirah Abdul Karim explaining her decision to join SCDF as a paramedic.

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How an award helps to enrich her life
For most of her teenage years, she had been an independent girl who juggled between studying and working part-time in order to support her studies.

Ms Nurul Nadzirah Abdul Karim could not afford to enrich her life with various activities until last year when she received the Home Team Merit Award (Polytechnic), or HOME Award.

The award sponsors successful applicants for a 3-year full-time diploma course in the local polytechnics and also offers a monthly allowance.

“I gave up part-time work and used this opportunity to occupy myself with other things which I could not afford back then, such as traveling with the school or picking up a new hobby,” Ms Nurul said.

For instance, the 21-year-old student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic traveled with a group of students to Vietnam earlier this year to educate the locals on health matters like personal hygiene and breast self-examination.

“The most memorable experience about traveling to places and doing community work is coming home feeling a little more humble and grateful for the things we have here back at home,” she noted.

Ms Nurul hopes to pick up photography too.

“Since I love exploring places, it would be good to document them in photographs so that I have something to remember these places,” she said.

Setting his sights high

A childhood fascination with the police uniform played a key role in  his decision to join the Singapore Police Force.
By Jason Lee
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For someone who has always been attracted to the police uniform, a career with the Singapore Police Force (SPF) would seem like a dream come true.
That’s indeed the case for Mr Syed Ibrahim Shah Bin Jajahan who,  despite having just commenced the six-month Police Officer Basic Course, is already setting his goal far ahead: He hopes to become a senior officer one day.

“Since young, I have been fascinated with the police uniform. Today,  I still feel the uniform is cool and prestigious,” the 22-year-old cadet said.

“At the same time, I am also looking forward to playing my part for the society and safeguard this nation,” said Mr Ibrahim who hopes to conduct forensic examinations one day.

That Mr Ibrahim is able to embark on his dream career can be attributed in large part to the Home Team Merit Award (Polytechnic), or HOME Award (Polytechnic).

The programme sponsors successful applicants for a three-year full-time local diploma course and includes the payment of tuition fees and monthly allowance.

While the award will help Mr Ibrahim follow his dream career, the monetary aspects of the award certainly helped mitigate the hardships faced by his family whose monthly household income was no more than a meagre amount of $1,300. 

Mr Syed Ibrahim Shah Bin Jajahan keeps his goal in sight
Photo by Tan Yi Wen

At the same time, his father had been on medication since he underwent a bypass operation some years ago.

Under such circumstances, many teenagers would easily have been demoralised – but not Mr Ibrahim, who was determined to fight the odds and shape his own destiny.

After all, his parents had worked hard to raise his younger sister and him. Mr Ibrahim was determined to repay them and fulfilling his educational ambitions is one way to do so, he reckoned.

Staying focused on his goal despite the family’s financial problems has</br> helped the young man navigate through the educational journey with  much success over the past few years. Today, he holds a
National ITE Certificate (Nitec) in Mechatronics as well as a diploma in Micro and Nanotechnology.

Mr Ibrahim’s pursuit of knowledge however does not stop there.

He hopes to obtain a bachelor’s degree at either the Nanyang Technological University or the National University of Singapore and make his parents proud. At the same time, he hopes to climb up the ranks in the police force.

Mr Syed Ibrahim Shah Bin Jajahan, recipient of HOME Award in 2009, aims to stay focused
Photo by Tan Yi Wen

“After two to three years, I would like to apply for the Home Affairs Learning & Growth Programme (HALO Programme) and return to the Ministry as a senior officer,” he said. 

Under the HALO Programme, outstanding officers who join the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) after obtaining their diploma at the local polytechnics may apply for the full sponsorship of their degree studies at one of the three local universities.
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“It is the availability of programmes such as HOME Award (Polytechnic) and Home Affairs Learning & Growth Programme which convinced me that my chances of climbing the career ladder are higher at this Ministry as compared to other organisations."
- Mr Syed Ibrahim Shah Bin Jajahan

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This is provided they have served a minimum of two years in their Home Team Department.

Such awards, Mr Ibrahim said, allow him to plan and map out his career path clearly and is one of the key reasons he opted to embark on a career with the SPF.

“It is the availability of programmes such as HOME Award (Polytechnic) and Home Affairs Learning & Growth Programme which convinced me that my chances of climbing the career ladder are higher at this Ministry as compared to other organisations,” he added