Eighth time's a charm: Man rejected 7 times before police accepted him, to become family's third-generation officer
We all know that tired old cliche, "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again".
But that must have made quite a big impact on Haji Haisroniezam who failed repeatedly — seven times to be exact — to get into the Singapore Police Force (SPF).
On his eighth attempt, Haisroniezam finally got in when he was 21 years old in 1997, relentless in his pursuit to join the men in blue.
In celebration of Police Day 2022 today (June 3), Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Haisroniezam shared with AsiaOne his journey and why he was so dogged to become a police officer.
He recounted one interview where he was up against another candidate who was physically bigger than him.
"He passed the interview but I didn't," Haisroniezam said. "I went home and I cried. I sat against the wall, you know. My mother was saying 'it is not the end of the world what'."
But for Haisroniezam, being a policeman was his life goal.
Third-generation policeman
Having spent his childhood in the former Pearl's Hill Police Quarters, it seems that Haisroniezam was destined to be a policeman, just like his father, his paternal and maternal grandfathers.
His late maternal grandfather, Sergeant Muhammad Bin Mahmud, used to serve in the Police's Federal Reserve Unit, working together with the Gurkha Contingent.
Haisroniezam’s late father served over three decades in various postings including being a Traffic Police Investigations Officer.
Originally built in 1934 to house the Sikh contingent, Pearl's Hill Police Quarters was both Haisroniezam's home and playground during his formative years.
"Nobody knows the police quarters except for policemen [as] it's parked up the hill. The CID was my playground. I had breakfast at CID, I bought nasi lemak at CID, I rode my bicycle down to CID," the 46-year-old shared.
He recalls sending food to his dad during the fasting month and everyone in the police station knew his name.
Haisroniezam said he could feel the camaraderie among the policemen then, which prompted his career choice later.
"The relationship goes beyond policing. It's not just about the job, it is about being a family. Because when we are out there attending to cases, the only person I have to depend on is the person next to me. That can be my brother or sister in the force," he said.
As a child, he and his grandfather would often go fishing, one of Haisroniezam's many hobbies, moving from place to place till they found one where there was fish aplenty.
Through this, he picked up the importance of perseverance and it served him well career-wise, he said.
That persistence served him well when he applied and failed several times to enter the police force.
On his last attempt, he recounted that the interviewer even remembered him and asked "You again?"
It was a short interview and Haisroniezam was soon asked to go home, a sign he thought signalled another failed attempt.
To his surprise, he received an offer letter from the police.
"That was the best day of my life," he said.
Not always smooth sailing
When asked about some of the tough cases he has worked on, he talked about the challenges dealing with the vulnerable, and suicide cases among others.
He is currently a team leader in Airport Police Division's Patrol Team.
"I would be lying if I said I didn't have my bad moments," he said.
There have been moments he felt like throwing in the towel too.
He said: "The day that somebody jumped off a ledge and you grab hold of his hand and he practically slipped off, falling to his death. The day when you break open the door and you see an elderly lady in a state of decomposition staying by herself.
"The day you have to arrest a small kid for glue-sniffing. The day when somebody put a baby in a plastic bag and throw the baby off a sixth floor."
Experiencing such painful moments did, at times, make him question why he chose this line of work.
However, his mentality is "if I don't do it, then who will?"
"I'm very thankful that I didn't give up to join the police force because the police force has provided me with a lot of opportunities to improve myself," he said, adding that he has a diploma in Policing, a diploma in Training and Development, an advanced diploma in Policing and a degree in International Policing.
He achieved all this through part-time studies with sponsorships from the SPF.
No need to follow in my footsteps
Interestingly enough, none of Haisroniezam's three children have any interest in continuing the family 'legacy'.
This family lives in Jurong West.
Haisroniezam's 25-year-old daughter is a soon-to-be ship captain, his 22-year-old son is running a cycling business and his youngest is studying to be a nurse or paramedic.
The 'legacy' is likely to end with Haisroniezam, not that it bothers him.
"I fully believe if you want to do something, you must have the heart for it. Just like my grandfather and father, they never pushed me toward becoming a police officer."
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amierul@asiaone.com
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