Providing security services is a lot tougher than many people realise. At AETOS, security officers rely on teamwork, communication and constant learning to carry out their jobs effectively.

By Candice Chan

Khoo Boo Kiat is not who you might expect to go into security services. The shy, soft-spoken 30-year-old who “does not talk very much” is about half the size of Sylvester Stallone. And yet, he is one of the nearly 2,800 people who make up AETOS Security Management set up in 2004 to provide auxiliary police forces to key installations such as Changi International Airport Services (CIAS), Port of Singapore Authority (PSA), ST Kinetics and checkpoints. In many ways, it is a one-stop security service provider.

Getting the job

So how did someone like Boo Kiat end up working in AETOS? He explains, “I was originally working with the Republic of Singapore Navy. When I left the Navy, I checked the newspapers and saw an advertisement put up by AETOS. It seemed like what I was looking for, so I decided to join them.”

There is more than a touch of pride in his manner when he declares, “I made this decision all on my own. Nobody came to me saying, ‘Oh, I’ll recommend you for a job in security.’ My previous employer did mention security catering, but I made my own decision. I looked out for jobs related to security catering, preferably which involved some travelling.”

“Also, security around Singapore has to be considered. I guess the threat of terrorism following 9/11 was a turning point for me as well,” he says seriously, his passion for the job breaking through his quiet demeanour. “After reading through the materials regarding security, I thought I’d try and become an auxiliary police officer instead of an ‘official’ one.”

The process of getting hired by AETOS was not as straightforward or easy as trying to get a desk job. Boo Kiat lists the various stages: “Interview, medical checkup, physical fitness test, shooting test, unarmed tactics, scenario role-play. They actually gave us a situation to see how we’d react.”

He muses with a chuckle, “In fact, I’m more of the mechanical engineering type. I graduated with a more mechanical, technical background, so coming here to work is a little bit hard to believe.”

Providing security

So what do AETOS officers actually do? “Basically, we deal with security. I’m part of the auxiliary police force,” says Boo Kiat. In Singapore’s context, auxiliary police refers to private companies that offer security services to oganisations (both public and private) and individuals alike. They are not a part of the Singapore
Police Force (SPF), but they do take training courses provided by the SPF in collaboration with the security companies. Auxiliary police officers are equipped with firearms and they also carry warrant cards that grant them powers of arrest.

At AETOS, there are other officers who take on roles such as Security Screening Officers, mostly deployed at the airports, and Protection Officers, who patrol Singapore’s defence installations. Then there are also the corporate or civilian staff members, who run the show behind the scenes.

Considering the number of people who move in and out of Singapore by air, it probably isn’t surprising that Changi Airport is one of the places where AETOS can be found. Boo Kiat says, “Over the past one year or so, I’ve been working at the airport. There are a lot of things that could happen there.”

But that’s not all AETOS officers do. They have other duties, apart from protecting the airport. “Sometimes we deal with people outside of the airport — crowd control at outdoor activities, traffic duties,” explains Boo Kiat. “We really have to think fast and act fast. We have to know how to handle people and difficult situations,” he continues. As for how AETOS officers get along on the job and in the office, “The important word is teamwork. And communications. There’s also understanding,” Boo Kiat says with a smile.

Constant learning

Besides teamwork, it also important to keep learning at all times. Boo Kiat is enthusiastic when he talks about the prospects of working in AETOS. The company aims to provide training to their officers through programmes such as Workforce Skills Qualification. “For us, we can upgrade ourselves. We do go through training programmes and courses, which are quite useful. We learn about threats, how to handle terrorism, crowd control, how to deal with people,” says Boo Kiat.

Dealing with people requires more skill than most people realise. As part of his job, Boo Kiat has encountered unreasonable people who are not intimidated by his uniform. “They don’t understand what we are doing there, why we are there. Some of them comply to what we want, some don’t. I guess it’s because they think in other ways. So it can be difficult sometimes,” he says.

But in his mind, Boo Kiat firmly believes in doing his job, and that means enforcing the rules and regulations. When the safety of life and property is at stake, there is seldom any room for compromise. That is what it means to be an officer at AETOS.