KUALA LUMPUR: For a group of seven veteran policemen, the chance to reunite some 60 years after they met at the Police Training Centre (Pulapol) was too good to miss.
Retired police officer Divakaran Subramaniam said many things have changed over the span of 60 years since the class of 1964 recruits joined the Royal Malaysia Police.
"This year marks our class's diamond jubilee, or 60-year anniversary. There were 90 of us in the batch of recruits in 1964, but today only seven of us could attend due to various factors, including health.
"However, the fact that we managed to gather is a monumental feat as our brotherhood lives on," he said during the reunion ceremony at Pulapol on Saturday (June 1).
Divakaran, along with six other veterans, was given a tour of Pulapol, culminating in a reunion ceremony held at the senior policemen's Mess Hall.
"It was eye-opening to visit Pulapol, or what we used to call the Police Depot. We were only 19 or 20 years old back then, and now most of us are in our late 70s and early 80s."
"As policemen, we are forever officers and gentlemen, and it is so satisfying to look back at our past at this historic place," he said.
Divakaran, who retired as the Johor Management Chief with the rank of Asst Comm, said the group of veterans was also given a chance to visit their old barrack, known as the "H Company," which has been turned into a Narcotic Crime Investigation Department (NCID) office.
"While Pulapol might have changed a lot over the years, we will always carry the memories of training and meeting here. From waking up in the early hours to having a full day of training and studying, there was never a dull moment here.
"So much so, we were utterly spent by the time we reached our beds at the end of the day. What made it special was our bonds of friendship and brotherhood that thrived over the years," he said.
For the new batch of policemen, Divakaran reminded them to respect themselves, abide by the law, and serve the public with honour and dignity.
"No one is above the law. Only when you respect yourself, will people respect you," he said.
Divakaran also thanked Pulapol commander Senior Asst Comm Muhammad Idzam Jaafar for his hospitality.
"We are privileged to be given such good treatment by the commander and his staff," he said. Among the other class of 1964 veterans present were Datuk Syed Md Mokhtar Syed Zubir Barakbah, a former Pulapol commander and Perlis police chief, and Datuk Michael Kor Siang Pin, former Johor Special Branch chief.
