An analysis of the Attraction of Police ProfessionThe Mauritius Police ForceThe Mauritius police Force (abbreviated MPF) is the agency responsible for Law enforcement in the Republic of Mauritius. It operates under the aegis of the Ministry of Defense and Rodrigues. It is presently composed of about 12,500 Police officers (source: police.
govmu.org) posted to different branches, units and divisions. The MPF was founded in 1767, during French colonization period, and Mr. Antoine CODERE was appointed first “Commissaire de Police”. The ordinance which governed the MPF was enacted in 1893 up to 1974, when it was replaced by the present Police Act which stipulates the duties and rights of a police officer.The main duties of a Police Officer are to keep the citizens of the country safe 24 hours a day and seven days a week. Common duties of Police includes arresting wrongdoers, regulating traffic, testifying in court, execution of warrants issued by a Court of Justice, Crime Prevention etc.
Why to join the MPFIn the year 2000, I was then aged 18 yrs., just completed my secondary studies and was looking for a job. Looking in the local newspapers, I found an advertisement for a Clerical job in the Ministry of Social Security. I applied for computer courses in order to enlarge my possibility of getting a job. The following weeks, I came across the advertisement for the recruitment of Police Constable; I applied for same as I had the required qualifications and measurements.At that time, my dream was to wear the black robe, being a lawyer is a noble profession, I always have the desire to help others mostly those who can’t defend themselves but due to financial constraints, I could not continue my studies in the Tertiary.
Even that, I had the requirement measurement to be enlisted as Trainee Police Constable, I had to pass a physical fitness test which comprised of 5 km run, long jump,still jump, bar fix, press up,etc. To pass all these aptitude test, I had to train myself very hard and finally after some good training, I succeeded in my aptitude test and had to wait for the selection.Some eight months after my application, I was offered my letter of offer to join the Mauritius Police Force and as I had not received any other convocation for any other job and that Police was a government and secure job and also where the job of a Police officer is nearly the same as a lawyer I accepted it.Engaging in the MPFI joined the force in 2002, at the Special Mobile Force and within years, I started loving the job, specially as from year 2005, when I was transferred to Police station wearing the blue uniform. I learned a lot whilst working at the local police station.
After some 2 years, I was transferred to the local CID where I learnt a lot from experienced officers, working more on the field than in office or Station. I also started taking tuition in Police duties for promotional exams. In the meanwhile, I specialized myself in Computer Networking, Computer Repairs and website design as we were entering into a digital world. Following my specialization, I was called to join the Police Cybercrime Unit.As the Cybercrime Unit was just set up, I had to implement new job techniques which later on produced positive results. New types of cases were being reported like phishing, card skimming and other internet banking related offences. As these were the first cases reported in Mauritius, at the Cybercrime Unit, we had to be pragmatist by implementing new investigation and questioning techniques. This has help us solving many cases with international ramification.
Every day has the potential to be completely different from the one before. There’s no better environment for those who abhor monotony. The opportunities to diversify your job tasks are usually abundant.
