A Saskatoon Police officer who spent a year in Ukraine as part of an international contingency of officers helping to train new police in that country, is very appreciative of the relationship the Saskatoon Police Service has with the community.

Inspector Lisa Lafreniere explains that in 2014, there was a revolution with the government ousted and military police fired. They weren’t trusted by the public, so the new officers are trying to gain that trust while learning how to do their jobs more effectively.

Lafreniere says the officers aren’t paid very highly and it’s a hard life where often times they would be responsible for putting their own gas in the patrol car or buying their own uniforms. It has made her thankful for what we have in Canada.

The training includes how to conduct a criminal investigation, de-escalation techniques, firearms and handcuffing techniques, and teaching the Ukrainian officers who will be the trainers how to teach.

Lafreniere saw much of the country while she was there, because small teams would travel to different communities and teach for 2 weeks, then head back to Kiev to write up reports and prepare for the next outing, and then back on the road.