Building trust on patrol: One police officer’s peacekeeping journey in South Sudan
The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) was established in 2011 to protect civilians, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid, monitor human rights, and support the implementation of peace agreements crucial to the stability of the world's youngest nation, amid increasing violence.The Mission includes personnel from over 70 different countries around the world.Returning home after a year and a half with UNMISS, the winner of this year’s Woman Police Officer of the Year Award shared what it takes to have an impact and emphasised the need for more woman in the field.“Doing the right thing, trying to do the right thing, this is the reason why I became a police officer: to help people and to help those who need help.My parents are also police officers. So, I’m not sure if it’s maybe in the DNA or something, but of course, there as a child, you grow up with role models like your parents, and then you want to follow them.My biggest motivation is that we can have an impact on the ground. That our presence as police officers really makes a difference. It makes a difference in the small interactions during patrol activities, for example, which is really satisfying.
