Singapore's Police Life interviewed two sisters working in the Singapore Police Force (SPF), Force Senior Staff Sergeant (SSSgt) Nur Wahidah Binte Abdul Wahid and Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Nur Ain Binte Abdul Wahid, to better understand their experiences at work and at home.

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Tell us more about your background and when you joined the Force

SSSgt Wahidah: As clichéd as it may sound, I’ve always wanted to contribute to the community, so joining the Force seemed natural to me. I joined in 2009 and was posted to Serangoon NPC as a GRF officer. In 2016, I was posted to the Crime Strike Force (CSF), and since 2022, I’ve been with the Community Policing Unit (CPU).

ASP Ain: When I was younger, I wanted to be a scientist, then a psychologist, and then a nurse or paramedic. My father then suggested, “Why don’t you become a Police officer like your older sister?” I agreed and here I am, finding myself in a job that directly impacts the community. I joined the Singapore Police Force (SPF) in 2010 as was posted to Woodlands East Neighbourhood Police Centre (NPC) as a Ground Response Force (GRF), went for full-time studies, was posted to Jurong Division as an Investigation Officer (IO) and then to Sengkang NPC as a Team Leader. I’m currently on maternity leave for my fourth child.

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How have you balanced being a Police officer with having children?

SSSgt Wahidah: To be honest, I didn’t give much thought to this question. There are many female officers with children in the Force. I challenged myself by saying that if they can do it, why can’t I? But I knew it wasn’t always going to be easy. I was in the CSF when I had my first child. This posting required me to be deployed for operations, sometimes late into the night or on consecutive days. My husband’s also a Police officer, and we often had to send our child to our parents before going for deployments. Now, we have three kids (two of whom are twins) so it’s not getting easier, but I know it’s all going to be worth it!

ASP Ain: I always wanted to have children, and now have four little ones. I had my firstborn just before I went for the Senior Officer Basic Course, which is a six-month residential course at the Home Team Academy. So whenever we had time off, I’d rush back home to see my child, bringing with me all the frozen milk packets! My squadmates knew, “the freezer space is for Ain!”

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Tell us about your team and colleagues

SSSgt Wahidah: After I had my twins and returned from maternity leave, I was posted from the CSF to the CPU. Despite being in a new work environment, I felt an immediate sense of kinship within my team, and again received the support I needed each time I had to take leave due to family commitments.

ASP Nur Ain: I’ve been blessed with kind and supportive colleagues and bosses. While I couldn’t carry arms when I was pregnant, I was able to help the team with their investigations and administrative work. As IOs, we're constantly on the go, attending to cases and follow-ups. My colleagues would always offer to buy food for me or have team lunches together.

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Tell us about the difficult moments

‍‍SSSgt Wahidah: It’s all about juggling multiple roles and being there for my children. I want to be a good mother and officer, and I believe that I can excel at both roles. To handle my responsibilities effectively, it’s crucial to have good time management and a strong family support system.

‍ASP Nur Ain: During my IO posting, I attended to a case that required our attention for three consecutive days. I only got back home late at night and could only kiss my children while they were asleep. As officers, we often work beyond our shift hours. We also have other duties, deployments and urgent recalls due to work exigencies. There were times that I had to cancel family plans, much to my kids’ disappointment. However, they’re understanding of my work and I always make it up to them.

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To read the full interview, see here