SINGAPORE - Following the announcement that private security firm Certis Cisco is looking to recruit Taiwanese nationals to fill the need for auxiliary police officers (APOs) in Singapore, the company has come forward to dispel speculation that it is paying foreigners more than locals.

APOs are trained in areas such as handling arms and counter-terrorism. They can also be deployed to various sites such as immigration checkpoints to manage traffic and crowds, and conduct security checks on people, belongings and vehicles.

In a press release to the media, a company spokesman said: "Certis Cisco would like to state categorically that (it) offers a higher salary package to Singaporean APOs as compared to the Taiwanese."

Earlier this week, the company confirmed reports that it was looking to hire 120 Taiwanese nationals for its force here and would start recruitment in January.

Certis Cisco currently employs more than 3,500 APOs, all of whom are Singaporean or Malaysian.

An advertisement for the role on a Taiwanese job portal said that successful candidates will get a monthly salary of NT$60,000 (S$2,700) and a S$4,000 bonus. They receive S$2,000 upon joining and S$2,000 upon completing the two-year contract.

In comparison, Singaporean APOs are offered a bonus of $15,000. They receive $5,000 upon joining and $10,000 when they complete a three-year contract.

Singaporeans with three O-level passes can qualify for appointment as corporals, while Taiwanese must possess recognised university degrees to be eligible for the same rank.

The basic salary for Singaporean and Taiwanese corporals is also the same, at $2,575.

Additionally, a Singaporean APO with National Service experience will also have an NS allowance.

The spokesman added: "We are a Singapore company and we will hire qualified Singaporeans first before we explore alternate sources to beef up our manpower resources."