Training with Purpose: Building Resilience Through Realism

Even after 24 years of dedication to the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), a lesson from one of RO1 Sathiaseelan Thurasingam early trainers remains fresh in his mind.

“Back then, during a routine cell unlock, an inmate refused to obey instructions and became agitated. My trainer didn’t react with force. Instead, he stayed calm, gave clear verbal commands, and used communication to defuse the tension. Watching that unfold taught me something important – tactical control begins with emotional control,” says the Senior Correctional Unit Officer at Institution B2.

It was a watershed moment of clarity for the officer – one that he now hopes to pass on as a trainer for the next generation of Home Team (HT) officers in Cluster B and B2.

Immersive Training Scenarios

Armed with knowledge he’s garnered through self-development courses like the Home Team Academy’s (HTA) Upgrading Professionally through Specialist Certificate in Adult Learning Education (UP-SCALE) Programme, he designed and implemented practical simulations of operational scenarios to amplify officer training.

Technology-driven pedagogical aids like CCTV replays, AI-generated visuals and live role-play intensify the realism and pressure of the situations while maintaining in a safe learning environment. Simulations also give RO1 Sathiaseelan the opportunity to pause the exercise and encourage reflection before officers take their next action, in line with adult learning principles like Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle.

“In theory, we will go through all the standard procedures during the lectures, but that will never give you as strong or solid a foundation as being in the actual situation – that is my belief,” he explains. “Scenario-based training can help officers connect emotionally and mentally to what they are learning. It builds confidence and instinct – both things you can’t get from a classroom lecture alone.”

This immersive, human-centred teaching approach ensures that learning goes beyond the classroom. RO1 Sathiaseelan recalls guiding an officer to the right decision during real-life prison operations dealing with an agitated inmate using the same stop-and-think methodology.

Imagine his surprise when the same situation arose just a few months later, with a markedly different response. “I didn’t say anything and sat back to observe what would happen. The officers ended up performing and acting well, and in fact, it was the same officer from before who led them with the correct instructions. I personally told him how impressed I was,” he says.

The Role of a Trainer

The incident demonstrated one of his core teaching beliefs – that trainers are first and foremost a guiding compass. “We don’t ascribe or fix the route they have to go. My job here is to help them reflect, guide them, and build their mental resilience – the rest is up to them,” he elaborates.

RO1 Sathiaseelan’s outstanding performance was recognised at the Home Team Training Excellence (TraX) Awards Ceremony 2025. He was one of 18 trainers across 10 training units to receive commendations for his contributions to the development of knowledge in the HT family.

Next on the horizon for the officer: splitting his time between his duties, further improving education as adjunct trainer at HTA’s Singapore Prison Training Institute and securing a Psychology degree at Murdoch University.

“I want to learn about human beings – scientifically, and practically. This course gives me insight into how I should handle certain situations, how to read people, and why they behave or think this way,” the officer explains. Perhaps most crucially, his learnings about the human brain apply both to the inmates under his purview and the officers he trains.

“Embrace lifelong learning,” says RO1 Sathiaseelan. “That is my advice to all HT officers. Every experience, whether good or bad, is a lesson. Stay curious, stay grounded and never stop improving yourself.”

“In the HT, how we learn shapes how we serve, and ultimately how we serve shapes the trust we build in the community,” he adds.