Volunteer cops

Syd

Women want to be volunteer cops

Corporal K.K. Choo (left) and Constable Wong Soon Chie from the mobile patrol vehicle unit giving their new patrol car and telecommunications handset a try. 桸ST picture by Nik Hariff Hassan

KUCHING: When Roshima Abdullah saw the advertisement for police volunteers at the university where she worked, she told friends that it was the answer to how she could spend her spare time.

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"I have lots of free time during weekends and this volunteer work is like killing two birds with one stone," the 38-year-old Unimas administrative assistant said yesterday after receiving her letter of offer from Commissioner of Police Datuk Talib Jamal.

She said she wanted to contribute to society, and helping to keep the peace was one way of doing that.

The mother of one, who believes that society should assist the police in combating crime, persuaded 10 of her friends to apply.

"Sadly, seven failed at the first interview and one at the second interview. In the end, I was left alone as the other successful colleague dropped out due to other commitments."

It was fascination with the police uniform that made Dayangku Mulia Awangku Ahmad sign up.

"My father was a policeman, and this sparked my ambition to join the force," she said. That she is already a security guard speaks volumes of her obsession with uniforms.

Dayangku Mulia went for the first interview with 20 friends but only she got through.

Roshima, Dayangku Mulia and 43 other volunteers will start their six-month training course on Nov 1.

It will include marching drills, lessons on law and police procedures and handling of firearms.

Talib said the volunteers would have duties like accepting reports to police, attachments with the mobile patrol vehicle (MPV) unit, traffic and crowd control, and manning road blocks in anti-crime operations.

Talib yesterday opened the city抯 new MPV base in Jalan Tun Zaidi Adruce.
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