There are pros and cons to every job. With higher pay comes higher responsibility and effort put in. I find meaning in what I do as an APO and I take pride in being the first line of defence for our loved ones. I call this my own recipe of success. 

Deep down, 24-year-old Amirul Hamdi Bin Ludin had always leaned towards a uniformed career. His interest to be part of a uniformed organization began as early as primary school, where he joined the scouts. In secondary school and even in ITE, he was an active member of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). Amirul however had a passion for baking as well, which led him to don a different kind of uniform – as a pastry chef.

“I remember being my mum’s right hand man when she bakes cookies for the Hari Raya festivities,” said Amirul. “That was how I developed an interest in baking and took up a NITEC in Pastry and Baking.”

After graduation, Amirul entered the F&B industry, where he took up temporary jobs, including being a pastry chef at Marché. He however soon started feeling unmotivated and routine in his work.

“Translating something that you love into a full time job is a very different thing altogether. Although I liked to bake, there was something missing… a lack of job satisfaction. I wanted an all-rounder experience; a career which gave me an opportunity to meet and interact with people.”

In 2014, Amirul then ventured into the retail industry as a full time staff at ZARA.

“One day, my retail manager in Zara, who was also a good friend of mine, shared that he wanted to join AETOS. He commented that I had the right personality traits for a uniformed career and he actually advised me to give it a try.”

Something sparked within Amirul that day when he was offered an opportunity to don the uniform again; this time round, an auxiliary police officer’s.

“I thought to myself then, why not? This was the time to try something new and AETOS offered good career progression and a high monthly salary. It was now or never.”

Today, LCP (APF) Amirul marked his second year in AETOS as an Auxiliary Police Officer (APO) at Woodlands Checkpoint. His responsibility is to maintain law and order and being a first responder to any security threats and incidents at our borders. Some of his duties include ensuring that there was no outrage of modesty or pickpocketing; identifying persons of interest and handling road traffic congestion/incidents.

“Being an APO can get really challenging, especially during festive periods when the checkpoint is packed with people and vehicles. We have to be extra vigilant and extra patient when handling members of public,” shared LCP (APF) Amirul. “In fact, being an APO is similar to baking a cake. The ingredients to success is hard work and patience. One must also follow the proper SOPs, just like following the steps in a recipe, to enjoy the fruits of our labour.”

To LCP (APF) Amirul, being an APO may mean lesser time spent with his family, but he found that he was able to save up more and help support his family.

“There are pros and cons to every job. With higher pay comes higher responsibility and effort put in. I find meaning in what I do as an APO and I take pride in being the first line of defence for our loved ones. I call this my own recipe of success.”