Sparks flew as the Singapore Police Force (SPF) met the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP) in the annual Inter-Forces Games held in Malacca and Kuala Lumpur from 11 - 13 October.

The first morning in Malacca saw the SPF golf team led by Commissioner Tee Tua Ba pitting their golf skills against Malaysia's Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Tan Sri Abdul Rahim Bin Mohd Noor and his entourage. With the beautiful Tiara Golf Club scenery, the players enjoyed a leisurely game of golf. The beautiful scenery made up for the fact that SPF lost to RMP 3-0.

Simultaneously in Kuala Lumpur, badminton and squash were played at PULAPOL (the RMP Police Academy) and at the MSN courts respectively. With memory of last year's defeat fresh in their minds, the SPF badminton team made the best of lightning moves and neat footwork to hold RMP to a draw. However the SPF squash team was no so lucky, going down 3-4 after a fierce fight.

The second half of the day saw more excitement as the SPF ladies took on RMP in a gruelling netball match. RMP had a score to settle as they were defeated last year, and competition reached such a point that midway through, the ceiling of the court caught fire! This injected more excitement as everyone was ushered out quickly while game officers worked together to put out the fire. Portable lights were bought in and the game resumed. The water must have dampened the spirits of our ladies as RMP won, 3-24.

Volleyball was the main event on the second day. Our team had RMP on their toes with their spikes and volleys but RMP fought back and trounced us 0-3.

Rugby was second event of the day. Despite their fierce and painful tussle for the top placing (in which our players received injuries), we were defeated 12-5.

On the last night of our stay, the RMP officials arranged a farewell dinner at their Police Headquarters, Bukit Aman, graced by the presence of our Commissioner Tee Tua Ba and IGP Tan Sri Rahim Noor. The concept for the night was western and RMP officers sang and acted out sketches that had our officers in fits of laughter. Our Commissioner and Tan Sri Rahim Noor were then invited to conduct the RMP Band, and they both certainly did quite a professional job!

The Manager of Police Sports Association, AC T M Khan and his team thanked our hosts saying it was "the spirit of give and take, the strengthening of friendship and mutual understanding and respect that we give and share" that formed the essence of the games. After his speech, mementos were exchanged between the two police chiefs, sealing a partnership and friendship which the two forces have enjoyed for many years.

A mainly reservist rugby team puts up a stout fight
This year, deadly tackles and crushing crunches were exchanged once again as the Singapore Police Force Rugby Team met up with the Malaysia Police Team at the Inter-Forces Games.

Considering that our rugby team had taken on one of Malaysia's strongest teams, it lost only by a small margin by of 12-5.

Also, as team coach Mr Slemat Raskisan revealed, the SPF Rugby Team consisted mainly of reservist police officers who had taken off work to train three times a week.

But that did not mean they were greenhorns. Many were experienced players with major national and regional competitions to their name. Having joined the team during their National Service days, these officers had stayed on after their Operation Ready Date (ORD) by signing up as as associate members of the Police Sports Association.

PULAPOL - The Malaysian Police's counterpart of Police Academy
Pusat Latihan Polis or PULAPOL which has hosted so many Inter-Forces Games, is the Malaysia's equivalent of the Singapore Police Academy. It was established in 1940 as a police depot along Gurney Road, Kuala Lumpur. In those days, all police personnel were trained at such depots. It was not until 1977 that it took on its present name and became the official training ground for the Royal Malaysia Police.

Today PULAPOL occupies a 250-acre complex which includes several training schools, sports and recreation facilities, medical facilities, a post office, banks and other amenities. The Federal Reserve Unit School is situated there, as is the Driving School, Signals School and the Dog Unit. The sports complex houses a swimming pool, and courts for badminton, tennis, volleyball, sepak-takraw and basketball in addition to a nine-hole golf course. Medical facilities include a dental and a general clinic with a haemodylisis centre for treating staff and their families who have kidney diseases.

More than 3,000 trainees pass through the portals of this large training institute annually. The basic training courses conducted here are for constables, probationary inspectors and cadet ASPs and each course lasts 12 months. Officers are required to spend one month for out-station field training in centres such as Ulu Kinta in Perak and the Federal Reserve Unit center in Sungei Senam, Perak. Upon graduation, they are deployed to police units in various states or in smaller stations in the suburbs.