Back in 1981, a pioneering batch of female IOs were posted to the Land Divisions. It was a test — one the ladies were determined to excel at.
By: Low Ee Ching and Christabelle Lim
In 1981, the Singapore Police Force assigned seasoned female officers to take on investigation duties in the Land Divisions. Back then, female officers were typically deployed to handle traffic enforcement, administrative duties or roles within the Operations Room. With no precedent for women to handle investigation duties, these pioneer officers had to rely on their instincts, policing skills and support from their fellow officers.
In an oral history interview, Inspector (Insp) (Retired) Madam (Mdm) Patricia Giaw recounted her stint as an Investigation Officer (IO) at Tanglin Police Division and shares about the challenges she faced.
Mdm Giaw recalled that IO tours lasted about 30 hours each, “depending on the Division, [and] how many IOs you have. Let’s say we only have four of us, then you can imagine every three days you’re on [duty tour]. You haven’t fully recovered. The other days when you’re not on (tour), you have to come to office and take statements, interview people and all that. It’s really a very demanding job.”
Despite these difficulties, Mdm Giaw felt that the role was rewarding as it allowed her to seek justice for crimes committed against women and children. She also paid homage to her team, her assistant IO and detectives: “For me, if I get a good team, they really can help you. These are the things that keep us going. This is what brings us satisfaction. You must have good teamwork.”
Insp (Ret) Mdm Irene Lim shared a memorable moment in her policing career as an IO.
After receiving reports of a robbery in the Desker Road area, Mdm Lim patrolled the vicinity with a detective to track the suspects down. When she saw two shadowy figures snooping about in a dark alley, Mdm Lim and her colleague brought the two male suspects to the station, where they found hidden knives in their clothing! Though she was a seasoned officer, Mdm Lim felt shivers run down her spine as she realised that they’d been in a precarious situation.
I suppose because I was in the Police Force, the job made me bolder. — Insp (Ret) Irene Lim
Mdm Lim was also selected to undergo training as part of the Women’s Task Force under the Special Operations Command. Once again, she broke new ground for being one of the pioneer female officers to be trained for deployment during riots.
Reminiscing about her career, Mdm Lim shared the following advice with officers: “You have to be very patient, persevere and go all out for it. In carrying out our duties, we need to have a love for our job.”
Prior to becoming an IO, Insp (Ret) Salmah Binte Shariff was the first woman Assistant Duty Officer in the Combined Operations Room where she oversaw a team dealing with “999” calls. In 1981, Mdm Salmah took on the role of an IO in Queenstown Police Station. It was the largest constituency at that time, with a mix of urbanised and rural neighbourhoods, which made investigation work more dynamic.
“It was put out as a test, so that the younger generation [of female officers] could take over,” recalled Mdm Salmah of their appointment as IOs. “That’s why we never gave up. Die, die, we will do.”
After two years as IOs, the officers were posted to the new Crime Prevention Branch as Senior Crime Prevention and Community Relations Officers.
To this day, they’re proud to have been pioneers, paving the way for female graduates to be recruited in 1984 as direct entry senior officers, where like their male counterparts, the first posting is to be an IO in a Land Division. Well done to our groundbreaking female IOs!
Oral History Interview Series
Our officers have incredibly interesting careers, and for the past decade, our team has been meeting retired officers of all ranks to uncover their stories and learn from them. Through these sessions, we built a rapport and deeper respect for the men and women who overcame challenges to keep Singapore safe. We hope this series will inspire officers in their service and carry on the legacy of those who have gone before them. – Metta Yang, Head, Heritage and Social Responsibility Branch, Public Affairs Department
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