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International Women's Day spotlights and celebrates the importance of women in all levels of industries. Motherhood chats with ASP Halijah, who serves as a well-deserved tribute and honour to all Malaysian women in this cover story. She’s a youthful 40 year-old woman, courageous and energetic as she has ever been. She welcomed us into her office with the brightest smile and we were surprised to see the interior. "It makes you less intimidated", she explains the lukewarm pink coloured wall of her office. "People that come in here may think 'Oh, it’s just another police station' and that may terrify them or they might feel nervous or scared. But I try to not make it like what it seems. I lit up some scented candles too". She’s right. We couldn’t be happier to be here to get some insights about her life and professional background as a police officer. "You know, being a woman is a challenge. It’s tough. You have to have a thick skin, be very prepared mentally and emotionally, especially being in this male-dominated industry," she added. What we have learned about her is that her courage and empathy are as strong as her knowledge of the law. Derived from a quiet small hometown of Alor Gajah, Melaka, ASP Halijah applied to join the police in 2007 where she completed her training within one year. She then became an Investigation Officer until 2015 where she then became a Criminal Investigating Officer before being promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). She reached new heights upon transferring to IPD Brickfields as a Senior Investigation Officer, a position that rewards and resulted in growth in her career. She wants to make sure that for women like her, other than bringing down criminals, can help others including victims who suffered from abuse and violence, and that one day, they will get justice so that their lives and communities are better as a result. Can you share with us some backstories in your journey to becoming a police officer? My job is very challenging because apart from being a policewoman, I am also a mother of three children. What a lot of people don't know, as a female police officer the challenge is always there. There was a time I was on call when I’m still breastfeeding my child but I had to go to a crime scene and investigate a particular case or even make an arrest. That is the sacrifice of a mother and as a policeman, I have to raise three exceptionally beautiful children. Imagine me pumping breastmilk and also working at the same time, and I work on weekends or even during public holidays. On my off days, I will spend it entirely with my children. What makes this job so important is that I have to leave for work before my children wake up and go to school. And when I come home, they are already sleeping. So I will do my best to find the right time to always be there for them, especially during my off days. Compared to my early years, I’m in a better position now as a police officer. Initially, I wanted to be a teacher. I was actually given the opportunity to start my career as a teacher and then I was offered to join a globally known automobile company in their Human Resource department. My parents are the reason and encouraged me to join the police as it is an essential part of my family background because my elder siblings are also police officers, including myself. Three of us are police officers out of nine siblings. As a woman, it felt tough and challenging because when I look to my left and right, this field is prominently dominated by men. When I come to think of the training year, the first few months I felt like I wanted to quit. But my parents' thoughts and prayers got me to where I am now. I will always be thankful and grateful for them. The first role that was given to me was Sexual Crime Investigating Officer. I was investigating a lot of cases involving sexual abuse mostly amongst women. What’s empowering to me as a woman is that once these cases have been solved, it made me feel so strongly about helping others, especially those victims in need. There were some remarkable moments happening throughout my career too where I got myself involved in assisting the screenplays for television and films. We have to filter out the scripts, for instance, we have to ensure the right kind of commands and weapons are used in local TV shows and movies involving the police. Scripts made about the police have to be filtered and approved before any production can start filming. What is your most memorable duty since you started your career as a police officer? I think it was around the year 2013. At that time, I was a Criminal Investigating Officer. Coincidentally, I had just finished a ceremony where I wore a baju kurung and directly after it I got an assignment to track down a suspect involving a rape case. My colleague and I went to the appointed location where these suspects were. We knocked on the door, and they allowed us in not knowing that we are police officers, probably because of the outfits that we were wearing after the event. Not only that, the suspects and all of the people in the house were high on methamphetamine. I actually panicked because they could have easily attacked me at any time since they were high and can be very aggressive as they were on drugs. Then I whispered to my colleague asking for help, I tried to calm them down and told them nicely that I 'won’t arrest' them. I told them that I just needed to find a particular suspect. As I was asking them questions about this particular suspect, I saw one of them had a gun. If anything goes wrong, I have to take full responsibility as a leader and kept praying that no one would get hurt. Thankfully, everything went smoothly as I managed to talk nicely to this suspect. And a wonderful coincidence followed thereafter! Not only could this suspect come down to the station to talk with us, but another 'hardcore' suspect involving another murder case was also there. We managed to kill two birds with one stone. When we brought down two criminal suspects at the same time, this was the highlight of my career and an unforgettable experience. I’m so grateful as well that I got to work on this case and that nothing horrible happened. Upon arriving at the station with these suspects, they were all somehow on the most wanted list. It felt like a moment in a movie, except it wasn't. I think the key to getting this job done as a woman, is that these criminals can be talked to in getting them to surrender or confess as long as we communicate with them in the right manner but firmly, instead of gunning them. Unless, of course, they are in a dangerous mode—that would have been a different story. Can you tell us how it feels to be in a male-dominated industry? I’m actually thankful that I have been treated the same as my peers because most of them are male police officers. In fact, I’m the only woman in my division. Being a woman, you can be vulnerable sometimes but this taught me to be more disciplined and I was treated and received the same kind of respect from my peers and other people. Navigating in a male-dominated industry has its own benefits. I’m comfortable tapping into my feminine energy, and as a woman, you can have the same power in the law and be able to feel confident whilst being in the same room full of men. Men will respect you when you can bring your courage, conviction and bravery. Malaysian women need to know this. The time has come for us to stand up and acknowledge each others’ commonalities rather than recognising our weaknesses, flaws nor differences. At first, it felt kind of upsetting during festive seasons or public holidays. Being a police, you don’t get to clock in from 9 to 5 like all workers. You have to be on-call, like doctors. When there’s such an urgency to our tasks and cases, we have to at times leave our most personal and precious gifts, like our family and children, to serve the public and community for the better. Most Malaysians don’t realise this, especially whilst being in the criminal department. During my first few years and when I had my first child (Muhammad Rayyan Faris, now 10 years old) it was challenging because of the unexpected last-minute calls from work. But after a few years, I managed to work and juggle around my schedule. Time management is the key to getting my job done perfectly and all my spare time and off days are solely for all my three princes. My sons are very understanding of all demands required from work that comes with being among one of the most important frontliners, and I’m in the criminal division. So I hope one day, they will know that I am working very hard to raise them comfortably. They are my everything. What has COVID-19 taught you so far? When COVID-19 came around causing us to have had to be indoors and at home more often, it can be stress-inducing for many and I get that. When one feels stressed, you can easily commit unwanted crimes and criminal cases will undoubtedly increase. People think there’s not much to be done as a police, but our tasks doubled once COVID-19 started. Society needs to behave wisely in the era of pandemics. Everyone needs to take care of themselves, abide by all SOPs and go out only when necessary. We are all living in these hard times. What differs us from one another is how we tackle and handle our situations during the pandemic. You have to be smart about it and not let yourself down or get yourself involved in doing things you are not supposed to. As a policewoman and COVID-19 survivor, I’m also terrified like all of you. We have to wear masks, living together in these difficult and challenging times. As long as we follow the SOPs during the pandemic, I believe we can beat this together. Do you have any messages you'd like to share with women out there to commemorate International Women’s Day? If you want to join us and become a police officer, I highly encourage you to do so. But you have to be mentally and emotionally prepared during the training. Think of the duties as ibadah instead of obstacles. It can be a very fulfilling thing in life as well as in forming a peaceful and harmonious community. Justice must be served to those who are held accountable for causing any type of crime. When there is a problem upon solving certain cases, people think that everything can be solved by the police. I want the community to know that we are working hard to solve all reported cases. There are several factors that cause the case to not be resolved such as no key witnesses or technical issues that occurred during the process. The police are working to help you serve for the better and we will always want to keep the community safe no matter what. As a policewoman and to commemorate International Women's Day, I would like to say to all women out there, especially those suffering from domestic violence and abuse to come forward. Don’t worry or feel ashamed about coming forward. As women, we have to be stronger than ever. It’s already 2022, please don’t keep domestic violence issues to yourself until it’s too late. We are not living in the past and the best part is, we are willing to help. We are going to investigate and help these women in need. If you do not want to make any arrests, we will help these women by providing counselling services. We are working together with the Department of Social Welfare to protect abused women and educate them on this matter. It is important for all women out there and I want all of them to feel safe rather than sorry. She concluded our interview session with some of her biggest hopes for all Malaysian women, "Please don’t forget to report it, make the first step." She also showed us some of her photos with her three children, "Come to think of it, I want them to have a different profession as to what I do now, haha. Hopefully one of them can become a doctor so he can take good care of me one day in the future." Readers will be amazed to see ASP Halijah in person, she’s definitely a good speaker and an active person who enjoys cycling and attending Zumba classes during her free time. "Mummies can look good too, at this age. When I look and feel good about myself I can do anything as long as I work hard." These days, ASP Halijah’s precious time including her off days are dedicated to her three handsome boys, Muhammad Rayyan Faris, Muhammad Razin Firas (9 years old) and Muhammad Raihan Firdaus (8 years old). She loves them unconditionally, her job as a policewoman comes to fruition in such a beautiful way that one day, she wants to travel to the most interesting and exquisite places with all of them. We certainly hope this piece written on ASP Halijah will inspire you in a lot of ways, especially Malaysian mummies. Happy International Women’s Day from all of us here at Motherhood! For more insightful stories and fun recipes, stay tuned to Motherhood Story!

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