Zhang Yi Tao : Reflections on SPF’s Orientation Programme 2010

Zhang Yi Tao, Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship holder (2010)



Photo courtesy of Zhang Yi Tao










With my family at the Istana where I received the SPF Overseas Scholarship award from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng on 12 August 2010.


The Singapore Police Force (SPF) orientation programme has truly widened my perspective on the Police Force’s scope of work and the many facets of this sprawling organisation.

Through the attachment, I was attached to land divisions, specialist units such as the Commercial Affairs Department and real-time operations on the ground at the National Day Parade.

I am also thankful that I was given the opportunity to interact with the top management through dialogues with the Commissioner of Police and the Police Chief-of-Staff to understand their perspective and direction for the force.

One of the key highlights of my attachment to the SPF was the ground attachment at the Ang Mo Kio Police Division (“F” Division).

We were attached to patrol cars on the ground responding to real life situations from unlawful restraint to unlicensed money lending and rioting.

It was an eye-opening exposure to the variety of crimes that officers on the ground have to deal with and respond professionally to.

While handling the rioting case, I was also afforded a glimpse into the technological capabilities of the SPF.

Within minutes of the case being reported, state-of-the-art equipment was used to take photos, obtain DNA swabs and lift fingerprints from around the area.

As an added bonus, I was also brought along for a stakeout near a private housing estate which had reports of harassment by potential illegal immigrants. This showed me a side of police operations I had never before
experienced.

The attachments to specialist departments were extremely fruitful as well.

My stint with the Commercial Affairs Department allowed me to realise that police presence is not merely limited to tackling crime on the ground, but that the police jurisdiction extends to white-collar crime to weed out unlawful activities in all spheres of society.

A stint with the Special Operations Command also further reassured me that SPF has the capabilities to fully respond to potential large scale insurgencies during events with massive crowds and that the years of peace
and prosperity has not led us to let our guard down.
Lastly, the highlight was the attachment to the National Day Parade command post. I was utterly impressed by how the Police Force could handle the intricacies of operations required together with the multitude
of security concerns.

The walk-through on the ground shed new light on an event that I've witnessed so many times.

What struck me most was that contingencies were planned so comprehensively that every aspect of the event was covered.

On the whole, the SPF orientation was an extremely fruitful introduction to SPF and I look forward to the day when I graduate and join the Force in upholding its tradition of excellence.

Jonathan Lim : Reflections on SPF’s Orientation Programme 2010

Jonathan Lim Eng Sze, Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship holder (2010)


Photo courtesy of Singapore Police Force






Accepting my SPFOS award from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng at the Istana during the SPFOS Presentation Ceremony on 12 August 2010.





I’ve had an awesome week, unique from those of everyone else. Sitting right here in my chair at home after a long, tiring day, I glance back at the past seven days of my Singapore Police Force (SPF) orientation programme. I’m quite sure that my career with the Police Force will indeed be one interesting and exciting life journey.

The SPF orientation programme allowed me to visit a wide range of police establishments such as specialist units like the K-9 Dog Unit and Criminal Investigation Department, as well as land units like the Ang Mo Kio Police Division.

Before this programme started, I was a fresh and avid police scholar who barely knew much about the workings of the Singapore Police Force (SPF), and relied only on his innate interest in policing and law
enforcement to feed his wish for such a career. Right now, I have experienced so much over the past week, and I’m really glad to say that I’m ready for more when I return from my studies.

I realize that Singapore’s streets and neighbourhoods are safe due to the tough work that police officers do. This includes nabbing burglars, stopping violent gangsters and chasing down those who disrupt the peace of the neighbourhoods.



Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lim








Zhang Yi Tao (Right) and I (Left) on the National Day Parade grounds, where we had the opportunity of experiencing how the SPF ran the security operations for the entire event, whilst the public enjoyed the parade in peace.



The tactical forces are training hard to deter terrorists from even considering making this island nation one of their targets. The Airport Police Division scans through tons of luggage and surveys the entire airport area closely to ensure that it is one of the safest in the world.

Many other units and departments in the SPF are also working around the clock. If we are not there for the public, then who will?

I’m very excited. Excited because I know I will be in for a meaningful time, and I won’t have a boring moment as a police officer.



Photo courtesy of Jonathan Lim

 The SPF Scholars of 2010 and 2008 on attachment during the National Day Parade. “Going on attachments with the entire group of scholars has allowed us to bond quite well!” said Jonathan.




The SPF conducts a wide range of police operations, from maritime policing and counter-terrorism, to countering white-collar fraud and of course, the traditional evergreen honourable duty of fighting crime on the streets.

You don’t have that kind of diversity anywhere else, and no other career offers you the responsibility of keeping the country free of crime and free from harm.

Peers tell me that my years at university in the United States of America will be the best years of my life, but who is to say that the years spent in the Police Force after I return won’t be better?

In a week’s time, I will be leaving and I will make use of the time there to improve and develop myself into a better person for the Force, and for the country.

This has been a great start, and I’m looking forward to greater days!

NPCC changed my life

19-year-old Zhang Yi Tao shares how a search for his missing sister and the National Police Cadet Corps inspired him to join the Singapore Police Force.
by Tan Yi Wen, Home Team News reporter

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Photo from Home Team Career Centre
Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship holder Zhang Yi Tao (Right) believes that one of the qualities that will make a good police officer is being able to empathise with the public. He received his scholarship from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng (Left).
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Obsessed with computer games, Zhang Yi Tao used to spend several hours daily taking down villains and monsters, so much so that it affected his studies and he ended up in the bottom five percent of his school cohort.

In a bid to steer him around, his parents got him to join the National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) when he was a secondary two student.

The move worked.

His academic grades soared and he ended up in the top five percent of his cohort within a year.

“The NPCC taught me a lot in terms of maintaining discipline, which helped me to structure my life and discipline myself,” said Mr Zhang.

That was one aspect that attracted him to pursue a career with the Singapore Police Force (SPF).

The 19-year-old former Raffles Institution (Junior College) science student is one of the two individuals receiving the Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship (SPFOS) this year.

The SPFOS is a prestigious scholarship awarded to students with outstanding academic performance, strong leadership abilities, and a passion to serve the community through police work.

Mr Zhang received his scholarship award from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng at the Istana on 12th August.

The NPCC was not the only thing that inspired Mr Zhang, who is now a Probationary Inspector.

Last year, his sister (who was then three and a half years old) went missing during a shopping outing with the family. Recalling the harrowing incident, he said his whole family was really worried and he left the library where he was studying to help search for his sister.

The Police responded swiftly, and reassured Mr Zhang’s father that they would do their utmost to find her.After several hours, she was found.

“What the police officer did really made a lot of difference to my family,” said Mr. Zhang, adding that his whole family was very relieved and grateful to the police for finding his youngest sister.

Mr. Zhang has three younger sisters, aged five, seven and nine. His father is an associate engineer at the Building Construction Authority and his mother is a housewife and a part-time tuition teacher.

Keen to find out more about a police career, Mr. Zhang went on various attachments with the Ministry of Home Affairs during his first year at junior college.

He was given opportunities to go on patrols in police cars and visit various police specialist units such as the K-9 police dog unit in the Special Operations Command.

That further sealed his resolve to join the Force.

His junior college physics tutor, Mr Sze Guan Kheng said: “He is someone who will feel uncomfortable after staying in his comfort zone for too long. He enjoys new challenges and he works hard toward achieving his goals.”

Mr Zhang will read economics and engineering at Stanford University in the United States and is looking forward to completing his studies and joining the SPF.

He believes that being empathetic to others is especially important for a police officer in order to serve the community better.

Mr. Zhang also hopes to join the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as he thinks CID will be a mentally stimulating and challenging environment to work in.

His father, Mr. Zhang Zhi Bin, is happy with his son’s decision to join the SPF.

“The SPF has made a significant impact on my life, and I am glad that my son has chosen to join the Force to make a difference in the lives of others,” he said.

Driven to a meaningful career

With determination to achieve his goals, this year’s SPF Overseas Scholarship holder Jonathan Lim shares about why he chose a career with the force.
by Tan Yi Wen, Home Team News reporter
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 Photo from Home Team Career Centre
Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship holder Jonathan Lim (Right) hopes to join the Criminal Investigation Department or specialised tactical units of the Police Force after he graduates. He received his scholarship from Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs Mr Wong Kan Seng (Left).
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To improve his performance in time for a 400-metre track race, Mr Jonathan Lim went on a strict, self-imposed routine of training six times a week and ensuring that he had eight hours of sleep daily.

This was on top of juggling his academic work and prefectorial board duties.

The former track and field vice-captain achieved his goal.

Describing himself as a very driven person who will do anything to achieve his goal, Mr Lim said that he managed to cope with these multiple responsibilities because they were meaningful to him.

“You won't be able to juggle all these things unless you have a genuine interest for the things that you do,” said the 19-year-old former arts stream student at Raffles Institution.

Mr. Lim is one of two individuals who received the Singapore Police Force Overseas Scholarship (SPFOS) this year.

The prestigious award is given to students with outstanding academic performance, strong leadership skills and a passion to serve the community through police work.

“Jonathan is very self-driven and sees others as an inspiring source to work hard for his goals. From a young age, he has always been keen on learning new things and possesses much enthusiasm in carrying out whatever task that is given to him,” said Mr. Lim’s mother Mrs. Joyce Lim.

Asked why he wanted to join the SPF, Mr. Lim said: “When deciding what I wanted to become in the next 30 to 40 years of my career, I realised that at the heart of it I just wanted to be a very useful citizen who will serve the community and felt that it was a very meaningful channel to do so through the Police Force.”

Mr. Lim will read political philosophy, policy and law, at the University of Virginia in the United States.

“The course will allow me to understand society as a whole and I think that being close to society and helping to watch and guard over its safety and order is something that really appeals a lot to me,” said the son of a senior sales manager father and housewife mother. Mr. Lim also has a younger 15-year-old brother.

It was during his second year in junior college that Mr. Lim went for various Home Affairs Ministry attachments, including the Home Affairs Uniformed Services Associates Programme (HAP), where he visited various police departments and spoke to police officers.The experience made him realize that police work was very meaningful.

“I think it is very empowering and motivating to be in such an environment where everyone is working towards a common good,” said Mr. Lim, who is now a Probationary Inspector.He believes that given his keen interest in policing, he will be driven to better safeguard the peace and security of Singapore.

“You must have a heart for the community and be in it for the people,” he said.