Actually the scholars careers are not controlled within the scheme of service. This has been the bane of all Heads of Divisions, Departments etc.
In fact all of them as part of career development are assigned projects from PSs of their ministry upon their return. They are then marshalled into groups based on potential. The best ones first end up as Principal Private Secretaries of PM,MM or SM. The world then becomes their oyster.
The Force has deteriorated badly in terms of quality. The fact that the CP has never been trained in investigations or Police work or even directed investigations is a shocker. The previous CP was in Special Investigation Section and handled the Shaw Kidnap case.
Even more of a schocker is the claim that he was responsibly for high profile case being solved while in CID.
People need to distingusih between a nice guy and being an effective leader. I have no qualms about Khoo being a nice guy. I stayed less than 30 metres from his home and I know him well enough. He is indeed a nice guy.
What are you talking about?? Head of division/department simi?? where?? Division in army and police is also within the force. You never heard of division commander?? LOL
PSC scholars' careers are controlled on several levels. There is control directly within the scheme of service. It's just one of the many layers of control and planning done all the way to PSD level. For SAFOS, they are groomed and planned by OPC that manages only SAFOS scholars and top officers' careers. A common normal 23 yr old soldier is managed separately by another department and not by this. After this level, they are managed directly by Public Service Division (PSD) liao. Yes they are often given 'CCA' work from outside of the force itself to do. Within the force it's normal for them to staff trips with ministers, perm secs and CDFs overseas as a mere 23 yr old. Thats just the tip of the iceberg there is other shit like writing papers for CDF and other shit.
I don't know about YOUR time sounds like it was 20 yrs ago (since you said late 90s) but for your information, the Wrangler scheme now is not exclusive at all. Wrangler is now some silly project based work where its members work on a project and present to senior commanders. Wrangler comprises of 'high potential' people, not top people like you said. Maybe it was so in your time but things have changed because it's not so now. A Wrangler team now comprises of 1 or 2 SAFOS- one more senior like a LTC and one junior one a young 23 yr old CPT, and also includes SMS (the second rate scholarship of SAF) and Defence Merit Scholar (these are civilian, NON-uniformed scholars most of whom are girls directly recruited by MIndef, not to be confused with PSC's OMS scholars some of whom may also serve in Mindef HQ).
DMS is not an exclusive scholarship within the Mindef pecking order. It is the same rung as SMS..but is above those lelong academic awards that no one cares about but then no one considers those people scholars anyway.
The difference between SAFOS and SPFOS and the rest (2nd rate SMS and DMS, and 2nd rate SGS in SPF) is that SAFOS and SPFOS scholars directly come under purview of PSC/PSD. They get very good exposure to civilian people on top and wide access to Administrative Service. This is because SAFOS and SPFOS are PSC scholarships. The rest aren't. Together with OMS, the 3 form the highest class of scholars of Singapore.
The elite of the civil service today is the Adminstrative Service.I highly doubt that Khoo Boon Hwee was rejected by "Wrangler" in those days, if Wrangler is really the Admin Service of the yore since Khoo is an Admin Officer today. Also,I don't think he would have become Interpol head if he wasn't as good as they say.
But you are correct to say that police plays second fiddle to SAF. From back then to modern times, there is an overriding perception that SPFOS are SAFOS rejects. So yes, the rejects don the blue uniform, like someone here said.
You're incorrect to say that the "best" are only the "best" if they get the staff tour of being principal private secretary to PM and MM. There have been 'high fliers' who got this tour in their CV eg Alan Chan president's scholar now CEO of SPH, Lee Seow Hiang President's Scholar now CAAS deputy CEO but MAJORITY of the high fliers who became perm sec, generals and ministers did not do this tour, so doing a PPS tour is so not the pinnacle of career like the way you put it, but rather is one of the many tours that some eventual high fliers may have done. A man of Chan Chun Sing's level is going to fly super high in civil service, but i'm quite sure he didn't do the PPS tour.