HAVING successfully solved over 400 crime cases when he was a Police Inspector in Kelantan back in 2008, life was never easy for Assoc Prof Dr Paramjit Singh.
“Mostly, there were sleepless nights and I had limited family time with my loved ones. I had to shoulder the responsibility to safeguard the public and combat crime,” Paramjit recalled.
He served in the Criminal Investigation Department back then when he was only 25.
Paramjit said it was important to pay close attention to details and be punctual.
“Every detail is crucial when it involves criminal investigation. In order not to miss out on any crucial evidence, it is extremely important that we observe the response time when heading to the crime scene,” he told Buletin Mutiara during a phone interview recently.
Life did not turn out the way most people think it would be for Paramjit.
While serving in the police force, he was offered the Academic Staff Training Scheme (ASTS) scholarship by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and the Ministry of Higher Education to pursue his Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).
He became a Visiting PhD scholar at Wayne State University in Michigan, the United States in 2014.
Upon completing his PhD in November 2015, he joined USM as a senior lecturer and was honoured as an Associate Professor last year (2021).
Paramjit, now 39, was promoted to be the research, innovation, and industry-community engagement Deputy Dean at USM’s School of Social Sciences this year. He is also a lecturer for the Social Work Programme at USM.
His research interests cover areas such as HIV, AIDS, drug addiction, harm reduction, criminal justice, mental health, and social work with families.
Paramjit said he used the experience he gained as a Police Inspector in his career as a lecturer now.
“I would not have been what I am today, if not for the police force. I am grateful for the opportunity to serve the community then, and now life has given me another way to serve.
“I will continue to serve with passion for as long as I am here with USM. I thank the institution here for its trust in me and my areas of expertise,” he said.
Paramjit also thanked his family for being very supportive.
Thanking his late father Jamir Singh Jagil Singh, Paramjit said his father who was a lorry driver had worked hard to put food on the table for the family.
His mother Lim Siew Choo was a housewife.
Paramjit is married to Ooi Ming Ming, a medical doctor at Hospital Seberang Jaya and they have a five-month-old daughter, Hayley Eliora Kaur.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix courtesy of Assoc Prof Dr Paramjit Singh