Adjusting to life in Afghanistan: A CIVPOL experience

By Cpl Barry Pitcher
PRT CIVPOL

The latest Civilian Police (CIVPOL) contingent for Afghanistan, comprised of three RCMP and one Medicine Hat police officer, recently left Ottawa for the Kandahar Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT). Prior to leaving, we underwent two weeks of training to prepare for the mission. Classes included Improvised Explosive Device and booby-trap recognition, cultural awareness, and weapons testing. We also spent a few days at CFB Kingston where we received a refresher on military patrol drills and the latest intelligence briefs from Afghanistan.

With the training fresh in our minds, we began the journey from chilly Ottawa on February 16. After routing though various airports around the globe, we finally clambered aboard a C130 Hercules for the final approach into Kandahar Airfield on February 20. We were expecting blistering desert heat, but it was raining when we arrived. We linked up with our luggage in an old hangar that we were told was the Taliban’s ‘last stand’ when coalition forces seized the airport in early 2002. Craters were all around as were hundreds of bullet holes in the walls. What strikes you immediately is how vast and busy the airfield actually is. Helicopters and fighter jets from various countries were coming and going, and there is a real sense of urgency in movement. Right away, we started to gain an appreciation of the conflict that this country has seen in years past.

We linked up with Superintendent Dave Fudge, our contingent commander, and we were soon off to our new home via military convoy. Our accommodations at Camp Nathan Smith house the PRT, which also comprises a large military component as well as representatives from Foreign Affairs. Over the next two weeks, we learn to settle into camp life and get to know all the military partners that make things happen.

From the issuing of blankets to getting our ammunition, everything was on a strict schedule. Of course, in the middle of all this, is that fact that many of us have yet to adjust to time change. There is also the telltale rattle of gunfire, helicopters, and artillery going off at all hours. It is not uncommon for us to now wake at 4:00 a.m., ready to start the day. We are told that like many things, it will take a few weeks for the body to adjust to being here.

We also soon discovered that there is much work to be done here and we quickly found ourselves on patrol in the city districts of Kandahar. We always travel with the military whenever we go ‘outside the wire’ as the terrorist threat is very high. Recently, the military augmented force protection in order to give us more mobility to do our job. Our immediate role is to ensure that the various Afghan National Police checkpoints around the city are completed on schedule. Following this, we will begin on-site training programs for the local police officers.

We all miss our families terribly, but we are told that time goes very quickly here as the pace is so fast. Phone access and Internet allow us to maintain regular contact with loved ones. Overall, the new contingent is anxious to make its mark in Afghanistan, and we look forward to the challenges that lie ahead.