Nine months in Sudan on a United Nations (UN) mission garnered a former Sunshine Coast RCMP sergeant the Canadian peacekeeping service medal.
Sgt. Barry Meyer spent April 2006 through January 2007 delivering cultural and UN training to officers arriving from other countries who were going to assist in Sudan's policing infrastructure development.
The Canadian peace-keeping service medal was introduced in June 2000 by Gov. Gen. Adrienne Clarkson and was created to honour the services of all Canadian military, police and civilians who have served in peacekeeping operations. In a ceremony on Jan. 22, RCMP Commissioner William Elliott and Deputy Commissioner Gary Bass awarded Meyer his medal.
Meyer spoke about his mission to Sudan, saying "Officers were arriving from 40 different countries, so there was a real variety of education and experience."
His position there eventually led him to travel to other countries to assess hopeful UN recruit officers in their use of the English language, ability to drive a standard vehicle and marksmanship. He took five 10-day trips to the Philippines, Pakistan, Kenya, Ghana and Nigeria to test potential officers.
Meyer toured the war-torn region of Darfur in northern Sudan where he heard firsthand accounts of rape and torture and where the tension was still evident among the highly armed residents and militia.
"It was commonplace to see people walking around with machine guns and AK47s, but you just get used to it. There are guns everywhere," he said.
Meyer said police in Darfur were challenged by the lack of infrastructure.
"There, a police station is a chair under a tree, literally. A cell is someone handcuffed to a tree," he said.
RCMP officers who choose a UN mission must be willing to relocate upon their return to Canada, but Meyer said he lucked out. He applied for a new position with the Sun-shine Coast RCMP before he left and learned while he was abroad that he was chosen for it. He was able to come home to the community he loves for another year before transferring to the Lower Mainland.
"I have a house and a boat there and don't plan to stray too far away," Meyer said.
Now that Meyer has had time to reflect on his experiences with the UN, he said Canada is the best country in the world in which to live. "You really heave to go [to developing countries] to really appreciate it and understand it," he said.
Humble about being recognized for his service and selfless about his wishes, Meyer said he would love to go on a second tour, but thinks that every officer who wishes to go a first time should have an opportunity before he goes again.
"It was an honour to represent Canada. I wore the Canadian flag and was the first Canadian police officer to go to Sudan. I feel quite humbled and it was a real honour to partake in a peacekeeping mission," he said.
Meyer is currently working with a special unit created to plan security for the 2010 Olympics and is in contact with another Sunshine Coast RCMP officer on a UN tour in Sudan, Cpl. Wayne Plimmer, who is due back mid-February.
- With files from Christine Wood
