AS A retired police officer, I think it was incorrect of Mr David Chung in his letter last Friday to assume he would have been guaranteed a rise up the ranks to a senior police position if he had obtained a degree ('Address problem of high staff turnover'). Many junior officers without degrees have risen through the ranks, some retiring as police superintendents.

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They say the same about being ministers... still better to give it high pay lah.

I don't think all Police officer are in just to go up the ladder with their qualifications. There are many regular school leavers who are in it because they thought they like the work and wanting to serve the public.

But I guess many went in and got disillusion with the modern police force. Not like the old days where camaraderie is tight and everyone "watches each other back". Nowadays different unfortunately, with many stab each other on the back for the sake of promotion and other "personal" matters.

I still remember the old days (70's and 80's) when me late date had detective friends visited my home and half of them looks more like crooks. Straight they may not be, but you don't here about policemen "going after" policemen then. Nowadays, I hear too many of them, though many not reported in the papers.

So, what you have is clean Police force nowadays which meant that as long you got the paper qualification, you must be good. For those without one, persevere long enough, then you will get your pension. Although, unfortunately, lacking in other skill to work externally. Maybe except, Op manager of schools and in the security.

noble? or being treated by young scholar superiors as nothing more than a glorified 15-hour security guard?
Let's not kid ourselves about calling and serving the country. would our ministers do the same for less $ and more noble calling?

but for the "valuable police pension", would it still be a "noble calling"?

i think old officers have no idea how our civil service has changed.

Get real, Mr De Souza. Being a police officer is a noble calling. Being a nurse is a noble calling. Being a lawyer is a noble calling. Being a social worker is a noble calling. Being a teacher is a noble calling. ...and the list goes on. Those are the usual words they say whenever they want to attract people into a profession or to make themselves sound larger than life. As an ex-teacher with MOE, I know enough about the sales gimmicks they use to lure people into professions that people, if they know the truth, would normally avoid for good.

And for your information. As far as I know, Singapore no longer has a pension scheme for civil servants, at least not for teachers. Younger civil servants do not have 'valuable pensions' as rewards for their persistence. If they get 'stuck' at the lower ranks because their bosses think they haven't performed well enough or that their bosses do not care much about their career progression, they can work as low-ranking officers till they retire and no pensions will fall on their laps.

Your '1961' batch could be one of the last batches to receive pensions. Maybe if there had not been any 'valuable police pension', you would have sung a different tune, judging from the fact that you viewed your pension as a reward for your persistence?

Im surprise Xiao Wei havent commented that being prostitute is a noble calling.

#7 - aunty helena, dun copy me leh!

Being a police officer is a noble calling only if the individual understand the true meaning of being noble...