The National Police Cadet of Royal Malaysian Police (often abbreviated in Malay as PKP) is a uniformed body at selected high schools and colleges in Malaysia with the aim of inculcating discipline among students and helping to curb negative activities. They are available for those who are 14 years old and up to 21 years old. The purpose of establishing the Police Cadet is to give exposure to a number of students in aspects of the role and function of policing in dealing with the problem of moral crime, drugs, and gangsterism among students who will become leaders in the future. The National Police Cadet is similar and comparable but not identical to the police explorers program in the United States. They are often associated with the Crime Prevention And Community Safety Department, and are under the Support Resource Coordination Division of the Royal Malaysian Police.

History

The idea to form a Police Cadet corps was triggered by the former Inspector-General of Police, late Tun Mohamed Salleh Ismail when launching the Police Cadet Team on 2 March 1970. He said, "The overall objective is to make the cadet a responsible citizen of the future. He must yield a strong and healthy influence among his colleagues, friends and family so that in the years ahead, there will be a new breed, of enlightened good citizens contributing to nation-building."

Organisation

Police Cadet platoon (one platoon per school) members are made out of Trainee/Junior Cadets, Senior Cadets, Cadet Corporal and a Cadet Sergeant. Cadet team members and trainee cadets are picked from high school students who have passed basic interviews and physical tests. Senior Cadets are made up of those who have passed interviews at PDRM (Royal Malaysian Police HQ) and one teacher in their respective high school would be selected to become a Cadet Inspector, tasked with being the platoon advisor. A Police Cadet platoon normally comprises 35 members including three corporals, a sergeant and a senior cadet officer leading a team of 30 cadets.

Purposes of establishment

The police corps are proven effective as records show many cadets went on to join the police force to become full-time sworn officers, whether upon completion of tertiary education or graduating from Police Undergraduate Voluntary Corps. Most had shown a high level of discipline and stayed away from social ills such as drug abuse and truancy, aligned with the objective of the cadet corps' establishment.

Ranks

Cadet Instructors

Training and membership

Among other topics, Police Cadets also conduct basic training and responsibilities that vary respectively. Some of the trainings is conducted at National Service Training Center or local police stations. This includes: