SINGAPORE: Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Candy Ko, 32, created history by becoming the first female to graduate from the 12-week Police Tactical Course in the Special Operations Command, alongside 63 other officers.
The course toughens trainees’ skills and tactics for managing public order and security threats. It’s known for its demanding physical requirements, which are tough even for male officers.
She served as Parade Commander at the graduation ceremony, where she was honoured with the prestigious red beret, marking her new role as a Police Tactical Unit Officer.
Husband’s Kidney Donation For Daughter
ASP Ko’s husband, former Republic of Singapore Air Force officer Benjamin Alexander Chua (@ttbac), took to TikTok to share a moving message in honour of her achievement on June 27th, Thursday.
Benjamin shared in his post, that he donated his kidney to their four-year-old daughter last October, who used to require regular dialysis. While this led to a change in his physical employment status, he emphasized that it had “no impact on his career” and received full support from his superiors.
When the couple was deciding who would donate a kidney, Benjamin told ASP Ko he “wanted the bragging rights”.
He wrote in the post, “The truth is, I couldn’t bear to see her go under the knife again, something that she already went through twice to give birth.”
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ASP Ko’s Historic Achievement
Benjamin added that their decision for him to be the donor was right, as choosing otherwise might have impacted ASP Ko’s career, potentially overshadowing her recent achievement.
“As a mother having undergone childbirth twice, she kept up with the training many men younger than her struggle to keep up (sic). No one cares how much baggage you have in a race. They only care if you win the race. Congratulations on winning despite all that you have to carry. You deserve the red beret without any slightest doubt and I salute you from the bottom of my heart,” he added.
ASP Ko joined the force in 2014, according to a feature by the Singapore Police Force (SPF). With her latest milestone, the mum-of-two hopes to “give other women the confidence that they can achieve the same too”.
Benjamin’s TikTok post gained widespread support from Singaporeans, who praised ASP Ko and hailed her as a “queen” and “badass” for her remarkable achievement.
