I AM writing in response to the article on more junior police officers leaving for better pay. I felt the need to provide an additional perspective to why the resignation rate among junior police officers is not surprising.

I was a junior police officer for nine years, from 1991 to 2000, and resigned as a staff sergeant. The push factors were certainly strong. Working long hours and shifts was standard and weekends off were only once a month. I remained in the same police division from when I left the Police Academy. I wanted to further my studies, earn a degree and continue to serve. However, a degree was no guarantee of a senior officer's position.

After seven years in the same division, doing almost the same job of frontline police work such as patrol and counter duties, I requested a transfer to the Police Academy to do training, an area I wanted to develop. Shift hours were taking a toll on me. All my requests met a blank response from my superiors. The transfer did not materialise and no one wanted to give me an answer. I was tired of the situation and focused on my studies to give myself an advantage should I leave. The lack of career progression made me reconsider my options seriously. -David Chung

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