Saturday, April 29, 2006
After reading the April's issue of Pioneer today that I finally realized that the navy has finally made the known to everyone in the SAF that no more will the regimental policeman guys in their base be called rps anymore. They will now be known as base defense squadron. Even the editor of Pioneer magazine commented that being known as a rp and being in such a vocation isn't as glamourous as being in others, there's so much that we do that others don't really know about. It led me to ask myself this question as to when will the airforce acknowledge our presence in providing overall security for the base. My friends think that I'm a nsf who's slacking my life away by being a rp with no ill intentions, only harmless teasing.
Here's what Eugene Mok, the editor of Pioneer, has to say. The Regimental Policeman is one of those misunderstood vocations. Sure, it's not as physically challenging as other more "glamorous" vocations. but it is nowhere as "cushy" as some people may feel. For a start, it is a challenge to be awake, alert and all alone while the rest of the world is asleep, doing either sentry duty or 24 hour foot and mobile patrols. And on a quiet day, things can get pretty mundane.
It doesn't help that some people have an impression that RPs either have an easy(all they do is starnd next to scanners and metal detectors and check bags and passes, then they go home), or are nasty people out there to ruin your day. For your information, because of the GOH who pulled out, heightened security and many other stuff, I don't even know when is the next time I can book out. I ain't those 8 to 5 guys who get to go home everyday as well.
Besides acting as the first line of defence by performing the usual base security duties, they are also the first faces visitors see. They have to be friendly and yet serve as a form of deterrence. It ain't easy to be two-faced..
The guys in my vocation in Changi Air Base are combat-fit rps who double up as base defenders, trained to protect key installations by setting up fortifications like wire obstacles and gun emplacements, and are proficient in handling and firing various weapons and other operational skills - just like any other soldier.
We went through what you guys can call the bslc equivalent of the fdc course plus even worse things like turnouts and lots of tekaning. Do I really want the recognition given to us? Not really because I just wanna finish serving my nsf life and fuck off. We are the lowest life form in the base and people who work in the camp always wanna play rank with us. There's nothing we can do when we felt that we were being treated unfairly but just shrugged it off like nothing had ever happened. We can even do it like what Edwin says, just laughed it off. I figured out that it's the best way. No point keeping everything inside of you cause it's bad for the health.
I'm booking in tomorrow with no knowledge nor confirmation as to when I'm booking out next.
