Since 1976, Police Life Monthly (PLM) has made many advances in its efforts to disseminate information to officers on the ground. Starting off as a publication, and then going online on SPF’s own web site, PLM has now gone "big-time", playing a big role on the goggle box.

You may remember PLM being featured in an episode on the television serial "Triple Nine" in which actress, Ms Lisa Ang, was cast as a PLM writer. In the episode, Ms Lisa Ang interviewed Insp Mike Chin and Insp Elaine Tay on their past experiences for her article on CID. The serial’s chief scriptwriter got the idea of featuring PLM when he learnt about it on the Internet.

Did "Triple Nine" accurately portray what it's like to be a PLM writer? Well, our writers thought it a bit strange that a woman was cast as a PLM writer because there are no female writers in PLM’s twenty-year history. Furthermore, the TV show made it look as if it was easy to get interviews when in fact it is quite the opposite.

"Most of the time, we have to go through some amount of cajoling before an officer agrees to be interviewed," laments PLM writer SC/Cpl Nisar Keshvani.

"Also, the articles you see in print are the results of months of planning and hard work," says Insp Tan Seng Teck, PLM writer.

The three-man team of PLM writers should know - they’re always on the move, looking out for potential stories and news scoops. Aside from their normal administrative duties, they are also involved in the coverage of police-related events.

Oh well, there’s showbiz for you....