National Police Cadet Corps

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National Police Cadet Corps
Abbreviation NPCC
Agency overview
Volunteers 20,000
Legal personality Governmental: Government agency
Jurisdictional structure
National agency Singapore
General nature
Operational structure
Agency executive Hoo Poh Heng, Commandant
Parent agency Ministry of Home Affairs / Ministry of Education
School Units 159
Website
http://www.npcc.gov.sg/

The National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC) is the largest uniformed group for youths in Singapore in terms of membership.[1] As of 31 March 2004, the organisation has 596 teacher officers and 20,146 student members in 155 secondary schools, 2 polytechnics open units and 2 University Open Units. With the support from two ministries, namely the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the latter of which the Singapore Police Force is part of, the organisation has grown from being a relative new-comer compared to other uniformed groups, to being one of the more well-established in terms of reputation, standards, and acceptability amongst the youths of Singapore and their parents.

The current Commandant of NPCC is SUPT Hoo Poh Heng. The Chairperson of the 15th NPCC Council is A/Prof Stephen Phua Lye Huat from the Law Faculty of the National University of Singapore.

Uniform

The NPCC uniform consists of an all-blue top and pants, the design very similar to those worn by police officers. In October 2009, the NPCC HQ had announced an organisational-wide change in certain uniform accoutrement to further distinguish the Corps from the Singapore Police Force, its parental organisation. The change includes the designs of head crest, buttons and epaulettes bearing the ranks of the Cadet Inspectors and Officers.

A dark blue beret bearing the NPCC Crest is worn.

The top consists of a dacron blue short sleeved shirt, with metal buttons bearing the NPCC Crest. Formation signs bearing the cadet's school are worn on both sleeves. Epaulettes bearing the cadet's rank are worn on the shoulders,all ranks of NPCC have the suffix (NPCC) to distinguish them from ranks of the SPF. The shirt is tucked in.

A black leather belt is worn around the waist. Dacron blue pants (for boys) or skirt (for girls) forms the bottom of the uniform. The length of the pants cannot exceed the 2 boot lace line from the bottom.

Black leather boots complete the uniform, with black socks pulled all the way up and worn on the inside. The toe cap, sides and back of the boots must be polished until one's reflection can be seen in it.

Officers and Cadet Inspectors wear a peaked cap (for men) or round hat (for ladies). They also wear a pair of NPCC collar lapels. Formation signs are not worn and men are issued with zipper boots whereas ladies are issued with court shoes and normal boots.

Officers may also wear the bush jacket - a tucked-out version of the uniform suitable for functions and ceremonies. However, the bush jacket is not applicable for drill sessions or parade participants.

There are also other Orders of Dress available to Officers such as the No. 1 Ceremonial Uniform (available to all ranks), the No.2 mess kit and the No.5(T) Uniform. These follow closely the Orders of Dress of the Singapore Police Force.

Ranks

Cadets
The ranks that a student can receive as a cadet in his secondary school are as follows:(top row)

Instructors & Officers
This category of ranks comprises from student volunteers to volunteers, teachers and also staff personnel from the Home Team. Ranks are as follows:(bottom row)

  • Cadet Inspector Trainee (CIT (NPCC))
  • Cadet Inspector (CI (NPCC))
  • Senior Cadet Inspector (SCI (NPCC))
  • Inspector (Insp (NPCC) or H/Insp (NPCC))
  • Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP (NPCC) or H/ASP (NPCC))
  • Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP (NPCC) or H/DSP (NPCC))

Cadet Inspector
Cadet Inspectors (CIs) are cadets whom, after graduating from secondary school, continue to contribute so as to serve NPCC as youth volunteer leaders. They are required to go through a Cadet Inspectors' Basic Training Course, by which they must meet prerequisites in proficiency standards in order to be accepted into the course. Graduands who have successfully completed the course will be assigned the rank of Probationary Cadet Inspector(P/CI) and posted to a Unit(Usually the former secondary school, or other schools) to serve his/her duty. Upon confirmation of service, a P/CI shall be promoted to the rank of CI. The primary role and task of a CI is to assist the Officers in planning and executing trainings for the Units cadets. CIs are also often involved in National events such as the NPCC Annual Parade, Singapore Youth Festival Opening Ceremony, National Day Parade & National Camp.

The rank of Senior Cadet Inspector (SCI) was introduced in 2006. A Cadet Inspector with at least 2 years' service may be nominated for promotion to this rank by their Unit Officers. In September 2009, near to 20 CIs were promoted to SCI in recognition of their service and commitment to the Corps.

Honorary Instructors

  • Honorary Instructor (HI (NPCC))
  • Senior Honorary Instructor (SHI (NPCC))
  • Master Honorary Instructor (MHI (NPCC))

Honorary Instructors are adult leaders of at least age 21 who contribute to NPCC mostly in the area of training. They are not required to go through any training course, though male Honorary Instructors must have completed their National Service.

In the past Honorary Instructors held either the rank of Senior Station Inspector or Senior Cadet Inspector, depending on whether or not they were a former Cadet Inspector.

With effect from 2006, the Honorary Instructor scheme was changed to a non-uniformed scheme. An Honorary Instructor may be promoted to Senior Honorary Instructor after 6 years' service and Master Honorary Instructor after 12 years' service. Most of the existing Honorary Instructors chose to convert to Honorary Officer scheme, if eligible.

Officers and Honorary Officers

  • Probationary Inspector (P/Insp (NPCC) or P/H^/Insp (NPCC))
  • Inspector (Insp (NPCC) or H/Insp (NPCC))
  • Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP (NPCC) or H/ASP (NPCC))
  • Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP (NPCC) or H/DSP (NPCC))

Officers of NPCC are mostly teachers who are appointed by their Principal to take charge of the NPCC CCA in schools. They must first undergo an Officer's Basic Training Course before being appointed as Probationary Inspector (NPCC). After 1 year of service he may then be confirmed to the rank of Inspector (NPCC).

Honorary Officers are adult leaders who contribute to NPCC in the area of either administration or training. Most active Honorary Officers are undergraduates from NUS and NTU, but some are working adults who have served the Corps for a long time. They are distinguished from Officers by having the letter H prefixed to their rank.

Honorary Officers must also go through an Honorary Officers' Basic Training Course, and must also have at least a Diploma or its equivalent.

Promotion of NPCC Officers and Honorary Officers is based on availability of vacancy and performance. All ranks of NPCC have the suffix (NPCC) to distinguish them from ranks of the SPF.

Training

All cadets go through a 4/5 year course in their Secondary school, depending on their academic stream. Trainings may be once or twice weekly, varying from unit to unit.

Physical Training
This training session is meant to build up the cadet's physical fitness standard, with activities like running, push ups, situps, pull ups and resistance activities. All these activities push the cadets to try their very best to complete the task at hand, ignoring the pain and difficulty involved. This pushes the cadet's limit to no extent, generating new heights. Physical training sessions also aim to build up the cadets teamwork and camarederie, with rules such as 'Leave no man behind, run as a squad' and 'One for all, all for one' constantly emphasized on during running sessions.

Uniformed training
This training session takes place in full uniform and consists of drills and campcraft lessons. A typical session will include an Opening Parade at the start of training for a Teacher Officer to inspect the unit. Beforehand, a Uniform Inspection would have been carried out to ensure that the cadets' uniforms are in tip-top condition. After the Opening Parade, the unit breaks up into their respective academic levels, each level taken by a Drill Instructor. A Drill session follows, to train the cadets' discipline and alertness in responding to the commands. Drills taught vary greatly, from basic foot drills to baton and rifle drills.

After the drill session, cadets change into their PT kit for a campcraft session. Campcraft sessions are practical lessons on knot tying, lashings, tent making and pioneering.

The end of training is marked with a Closing Parade. This parade is a debrief of the cadets, and announcements on important matters of the unit.

Classroom Lessons
Classroom lessons are occasionally organised by Teacher Officers or Police Officers to give cadets an insight into Police work or NPCC. These lessons can range from 'History of NPCC' to 'Crime Prevention Measures' to 'The 999 Emergency System'. Classroom lessons are meant to equip the cadets with a basic knowledge of the Singapore Police Force, and also basic crime prevention skills, which are very useful in daily life. However, most units do not attend such lessons as the Teacher Officers are often too busy and Police Officers do not visit most secondary schools.

Marksmanship
Cadets will get the opportunity to fire the .22 Smith & Wesson revolver and the Colt M16 rifle (NPCC Sea cadets only) in their NPCC life, as part of Marksmanship training. Weapon training sessions are always accompanied by a Police Officer, with an Officer to Cadet ratio of 1:1. This is to ensure the safety of the cadets involved in the shooting sessions. Shooting competitions are regularly organised between the different units, and cadets that have reached a benchmarked standard of shooting proficiency will receive a Marksmanship badge. A score needed for the marksmanship badge would be 75% of the total score.

Cadet Inspectors and Officers have the opportunity to fire the .38 Taurus Model 85 revolver, which is the standard issue revolver used by the Singapore Police Force.

Proficiency Badges
Proficiency Badges are awarded to cadets who have acquired a benchmarked level of proficiency in certain areas, be it Drills, Campcraft or Marksmanship. Badges are also awarded to cadets who have completed a course and taken a test on it, such as Crime Prevention, Total Defence or Narcotics. [2]

When cadets are in the middle of their Secondary 3 academic year, they will be appointed as Non - Commissioned Officers. A course may be organised to determine their level of competency and their position as a Cadet Leader (formerly known as NCO).

All cadets will pass out (be discharged) before they take their GCE 'O' Level Examinations or equivalent.

Selected senior cadets who are keen on contributing to the NPCC after their Secondary education are sent for the Cadet Inspectors' Basic Training Course.

Camp Resilience
The Camp Resilience was opened officially on 10 August 2004 on Pulau Ubin. It comprises two camps, Kampong Noordin and Kampong Bahru. Secondary 2 and 3 cadets will go there for a 3-day 2 night camp. They will go there for training. Secondary 2 cadets go to Adventure Training Camp (ATC) while Secondary 3 students go to Survival Training Camp (STC). Upon going for the camp, they will receive a badge, ATC and STC respectively. [3]

Personal Development
There are also some other courses that is not compulsory for all cadets. One of them is kayaking course, It aims to help to build water confidence. This course is compulsory for NPCC Sea Cadets to participate. Upon passing the 2-star kayaking course, NPCC Sea Cadets will receive a kayaking badge. [4] NPCC Land cadets only need to pass the 1-star kayaking course to get it. There are also other courses such as swimming, life saving and first aid. Once a cadet gets a bronze certificate from NASSA or Swimsafer, he/she will receive a swimming badge. Some courses require higher eligibility, such as life saving. One needs to be at least 14 years old to sign up for te life saving course.

Milestones

Laying the Groundwork

1959 – A pilot scheme was launched whereby a Police Cadet Corps (PCC) Unit was set up on an experimental basis. Bartley Secondary School formed the first unit with 30 cadets and a teacher officer.

2 June 1961 – The Police Cadet Corps Ordinance was enacted. All schools were given approval to set up PCC units. Siglap Secondary School and Serangoon Garden Government High School were the first to form such units.

1963 – The PCC and the National Cadet Corps (NCC) came under the administration of the Ministry of Education (MOE) with the Director of Education as the Director of Cadet Forces and in the following year, the PCC recruited girl cadets. Two new units were formed in the Raffles Girls' School and Sang Nila Utama Secondary School.

1968 – Formation signs were introduced for unit identity.

1969 – With the integration of PCC, Army, Air & Sea, the PCC was renamed National Cadet Corps (Police).

Consolidating The Ground

1970 – Cadet Inspectors' unit was formed from students in Pre-u classes.

1971 – The NCC (Police) was renamed National Police Cadet Corps (NPCC). The NPCC band was also formed in the same year.

1972 – The "grey and khaki" uniform was changed to the present all-blue.

1974 – The NPCC Council was established by an Act of Parliament.

1 April 1975 – The NPCC Council was inaugurated by the Minister for Education.

1976 – The NPCC Band recruited girl cadets.

1979 – The NPCC service medals and clasps were introduced for officers and a year later, Proficiency Badges for cadets were introduced.

Maneuvering The Ground

1980 – This period of time saw many initiatives being introduced to the Corps: the proficiency badges were introduced in 1980 in the hope of generating greater interest and opening up avenues to challenge cadets to achieve and excel.

1982 – The NUS NPCC Unit was established in 1982 to allow ex-cadets to continue their involvement in the Corps. These ex-cadets are known as "Honorary Officers".

1983 – The NPCC Pledge and NPCC March were introduced in 1983 and 1984 respectively to nurture a distinct NPCC Culture.

1984 – The objectives of the Corps was modified in 1984 to reflect the intellectual dimension and national concerns while retaining the traditional emphases.

1987 – The NPCC Pulau Ubin Camp Site was officially declared open in 1987.

Soaring Above The Ground

1991 – NTU NPCC Unit was established in 1991. In the same year, the training wing of NPCC HQ assisted in the training of police officers in campcraft who were scheduled to go on their first UN Peace Keeping Mission in Namibia.

1994 – The Corps came closer to realize its dream to develop an NPCC Camp that could accommodate 750 campers when the Urban Redevelopment Authority leased to it a 26-hectare piece of land in Pulau Ubin in 1994.

1996 – The NPCC Mission Statement and Core Beliefs were formulated and adopted in 1996 to root the Corps in a strong and purposeful philosophy.

1997 – The most prestigious of the NPCC Badges - the SPF-NPCC Badge - was unveiled in 1997 and was awarded to 10 cadets in that same year during the NPCC Day Parade.

September 2000 – The idea to explore the set-up of the NPCC (Sea) Unit first surfaced during a meeting on the progress of the new NPCC campsite at Pulau Ubin. The meeting involved Deputy Commissioner of Police, Chairman NPCC Council and Commandant NPCC.

27 November 2001 – NPCC council gave in-principle approval to start the NPCC (Sea) Unit in two schools namely; Anglo-Chinese School (Independent) and Springfield Secondary School.

January 2002 – The two schools initiated recruitment of cadets for the sea units.

20 April 2002 – The new NPCC Ceremonial Flag was launched during the NPCC Day Parade.

15 January 2003 – The two sea units were launched on together with the ground -breaking ceremony for the Loyang Regional Base.

2005 – Pioneer batch of Non-Commissioned Officers took over as the new leaders of the NPCC(Sea) units in Singapore.

2006 – Raffles Girls' School initiated recruitment of girl cadets for its all girl sea unit, the first in Singapore.

2006 – New Town Secondary School and Hwa Chong Institution become the first two units to receive the Unit Excellence Award for ten consecutive Unit Overall Proficiency Gold Awards at the annual NPCC day parade 2006.

18 April 2009 – NPCC marked its 50th year anniversary at its annual NPCC day parade celebrations at the Home Team Academy. Maris Stella High School NPCC Unit received their Unit Excellence Award for ten consecutive Unit Overall Proficiency Gold Award at the annual NPCC day parade 2008, thus making them the third unit in Singapore to receive this award.

8 January 2011 – NPCC and National Civil Defence Cadet Corps, together the Home Team Cadet Corps, held the Farewell Parade for NPCC Council Chairman Charles Chong. This event marks the end of term of the current NPCC Council, which governs both NPCC and NCDCC.

People

Commandants

Commandant, Volunteer Special Constabulary/Police Cadet Corps

Commandant, Police Cadet Corps

Commandant, National Cadet Corps (Police)

Commandant, National Police Cadet Corps

See also

References

General

Specific

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External links

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