Peacekeepers' Diaries

Canadian Police Chronicle their Experiences Overseas

• Culture, customs and the law in Southern Sudan

  I have already come to the end of my nine-month mission as a Gender, Child and Vulnerable Persons Protection Officer with the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) in Bor, capital of Jonglei State, Southern Sudan. Read more

• Instructing under a tree

  Being part of a UN mission can certainly affect how you see things. I have been an RCMP Public and Police Safety Instructor in “O” Division for the last eight years. A big complaint amongst the members involved in training is the lack of RCMP facilities in the province. Read more

• Investigating War Crimes in Sierra Leone

  For Detective-Sergeant Steven Niemi of the Service de Police de la Ville de Montréal (SPVM), landing in Sierra Leone will forever be etched in his mind. Read more

• Trainer, mentor...birth coach?

  I was on a shift on the evening of September 4 with Cst. Guy Allard of the Montreal Police and two Haitian National Police (HNP) officers when we made a routine visit to Hôpital Immaculée in Port au Prince. We were on our way out when three people arrived by motorcycle taxi. One of them, a woman named Mona, was in labour. Read more

• Le Baron employees made a difference for Haitians

  At the time of the earthquake, retired Cpl. Ron Lepine was the logistics officer at the RCMP’s Canada House in Port-au- Prince. After the disaster struck, he wanted to do something for seven Haitians employed at the House. Read more

• Haiti orphanage gets big boost from peacekeepers and Canadians

  The Enfant-Jésus Orphanage in Port-au- Prince, Haiti has been a pet project of Canadian police in mission for the past several years. Run by nuns, the orphanage cares for approximately 40 children ranging in age from one-week to 17 years old. Read more

• Ottawa elementary students help Haitian children get ready for school

  In the spring of 2010, students from Manor Park Public School in Ottawa canvassed family, friends and neighbours to raise money to buy schoolbags filled with supplies for children in earthquake-ravaged Haiti. Read more

• My mission in Afghanistan: an experience like no other

  I hurry down the dark hallways of the Ministry of the Interior (MoI) in Kabul to the Office of Gender, Human and Child Rights. I am accompanied by fellow Canadians Cst. Marie-Josée Fournier and Cpl. Karen Holowaychuk as well as Jane Bakken, a Norwegian police officer. Read more

• My experience at a forward operating base

  Challenging, difficult, exhausting, exciting, life-changing, hot and very rewarding. That’s how I would best describe my experiences thus far in Afghanistan. Read more

• Recce to the Congo – May 2010

  The smell is the first – and the most powerful - indication that you’ve stepped into another world. The steamy, hard-to breathe air is the second. Disembarking from our flight across the world, we arrived in Kinshasa, one of Africa’s most populated and polluted cities. Read more

• For the Children of Afghanistan

  It all started the day I visited a pre-detention centre for men in Kabul and observed male detainees in very poor condition waiting for their trial. I was informed that another pre-detention centre for females was nearby, so I asked if we could go there. Read more

• A Canadian in Kosovo

  I am posted to the Suhareke station of the Kosovo Police, located in Prizren Region (South West Kosovo) as the station advisor. I work with three other international officers, mentoring and advising over 150 Kosovo police officers. Read more

• On Patrol with the Afghan National Police

  In late February, I went on a patrol with ANP officers through a small village. Two of the ANP were assigned to lead the patrol. I was also at the front so that I could observe their behavior, and mentor them as they went along. Read more

• Horsing around in Sudan

  I thought I could lend a hand with these kids so when one of the volunteers had heard I had been with the RCMP Musical Ride, she encouraged me to go see their program for myself. Read more

• Addressing Security Challenges in Afghanistan Through Criminal Analysis

  In January of 2010, IPOB deployed the first two civilian analysts to Afghanistan. Experts in providing criminal intelligence analysis for the RCMP, the two are now contributing to an international effort to address corruption and drug trafficking in Afghanistan. Read more

• Our Heroes in Haiti

  Over the last few days, I have witnessed many acts of bravery and conviction on the part of Canadian police officers in Haiti, and I wanted to share them with you. Read more

• OPP Officer Runs Marathon of Hope in Sudan

  An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) officer who recently completed a nine-month mission to Sudan got very familiar with his desert environs last December when he ran a grueling 34 kilometers to raise funds for homeless children in the Abyei Region. Read more

• OPS Officer in First UN Mobile Training Team

  A Canadian police officer with expertise in training public order units recently returned from a unique deployment which included travels to Italy, Russia, and Cote d'Ivoire. Read More

• Sgt. Paul Reshaur - Kabul

  In July, 2009, I was posted to Kabul, initially with the Combined Security Transition Command, in an office of American soldiers, then a short time later with the European Union Police Mission in Afghanistan (EUPOL). Read More

• My memorable meeting with Agha Jan Kakar

  March 8 was International Women's Day. This day has great meaning in Afghanistan -- it's a time to stop and think about the place of women in this country. What I wanted was to sit down and talk with my female Afghan counterparts at the headquarters building. Read More

• For the women of Afghanistan who Dream of a Better Life

  I'm off again today to police headquarters in Kandahar. This time, I'm hoping to meet the female police officers here in Afghanistan. These brave women, undaunted by the plight of their homeland, women who dare to veer off the beaten path and claim their rightful place in society. Read More

• My first glimpse of Afghanistan

  Today was the first time I left the confines of Camp Nathan Smith since I arrived two weeks ago. I was part of a motorcade off to visit Afghan police headquarters in Kandahar, dressed in full gear... half military, half police. Protection was a must. Read More

• 2009 | 2008 | 2007

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For more stories, see:
Canada's Engagement in Afghanistan (Government of Canada)
Stories from the Field