A Cyprus Experience

You can understand that having spent thirty five years as a policeman, I was of the opinion that there wasn’t too much left for me to witness in my life that I hadn’t already experienced. Then along came Cyprus.

Over the years, I had often considered applying for a United Nations mission, but there was always something in the way. Kids in school, college, moving house, sick relatives, always an obstacle and so it took until 2013 to finally get all the ducks in a row. On 9^th November that year I landed in Larnaka Airport, along with five colleagues, about to start a twelve month tour with UNPOL, UN Police component of UNFICYP, United Nations Forces in Cyprus.

The first week was spent in UNPA in Nicosia, the UN Protected Area which houses our HQ. It’s basically a military camp with a small section allocated to the police. The week long induction training is where we met our new colleagues from Australia, Serbia, Ukraine and Italy, eighteen of us thrown together for the first time.

It was a strange week having to deal with a new environment, new people, hot weather, classroom setting and information overload. It was a full programme and was a fairly chaotic time given that we also have to have our accommodation and transport sorted by the end of this week as well. And with some of the stations being over 100kms from HQ. trying to view apartments during this time tended to be a little complicated.

Patrolling the Buffer Zone is the main task for all newly arrived Patrol Officers and that involves driving the primary and secondary tracks, dirt roads really, in a stretch of land separating the Greek Cypriot part of the island from the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. The object of the exercise is to maintain the integrity of the Buffer Zone, maintain law and order and regulate civilian activities there. Nothing complicated and the off road driving is enjoyable.

This was my duty when I arrived in Dherynia UNPOL Station in Sector 4 and it was where I had my first encounter with the military component, a Platoon of thirty Slovak soldiers based at CP 10 in the Buffer Zone. While the military have their own roles and responsibilities they also work very closely with UNPOL across the island. I had never worked with the military previously and I had no idea what to expect.

What I discovered in those few months in Dherynia altered my view of the military completely. That CP 10 camp became like a second home to all the UNPOL guys working that area and it was a very hospitable place. Each and every soldier was friendly, courteous, and respectful and they all seemed to be in constant good humour.

Their professionalism was very impressive. For a bunch of guys living together they kept the camp in a spotless condition, their jeeps were power washed at the end of every tour and they were always well turned out themselves.

My role changed after a few months and I was appointed Police Patrol Coordinator, PPC, for Sector 4 which meant moving to an office in another military camp in the northern part of the island, Camp General Stefanic in Famagusta. After a month in that position I was appointed Deputy Sector Commander in Sector 4 which meant I got to stay in that camp for the remainder of the mission and this experience in CGS was one of highlights of the mission for me.

After a long hot day in the Buffer Zone

CGS was primarily made up of Slovak soldiers but also contained, Serbians, Hungarians and a few Ukrainians and Croatians. It is the same camp that has been used since 1974 and I was told by some visiting veterans that the place hasn’t changed a bit in 40 years. It’s not too far removed from the television series “M.A.S.H” for those old enough to remember it. Very basic, but functional.

It really surprised me how well we worked together in this international arena given that we, as police officers, think and operate so differently to the military. But what really surprised me was how, as a group and as individuals, they were all such nice people. I never met a military person in Sector 4 that I didn’t like or someone I would not have liked to work with again and I developed a close friendship with many of them. I was more like an English teacher at times than a police officer.

English was the working language of the Mission and while most spoke it pretty well, there were many who didn’t. Sometimes trying to convey the simplest message could be confusing and many things got lost in translation. Sometimes this could be hilarious but at the end of the day the work was done. Patience and common sense were probably the main ingredients required by UNPOL members there. Everything moved at a slow pace and very little changed and that could be frustrating so you had to learn to go with the flow.

My buddy Lukas Zehman

There were twelve Irish members serving with UNPOL in Cyprus out of a total of sixty nine police officers and while we were a relatively small group I think it was generally accepted that the Irish performed well there and most punched above their weight. We all kept in regular contact with each other even though there was quite a distance between some of the sectors and stations and we got together for Contingent Days a few times a year. St. Patrick’s Day is also an important day on the Irish calendar there.

While the environment and the duties are completely different to what we would normally be used to at home, there was no function or position within the UN on the island that any member of An Garda Siochana would have difficulty with. As an organization, An Garda Siochana is well regarded by the UN in Cyprus and the local population seems to identify with the Irish and see many similarities with our histories. Having said that, there are many, on both sides of the island, who are not happy with the UN and will very often express that view. Many feel that the UN should have done more in 1974 and should be doing more now.

My perception of the Cyprus Mission prior to arriving there was that it was primarily an extended holiday. The reality was a little different in so far as there was work to be done, the hours were put in and at times it could be extremely busy. It is a small island with only 69 UNPOL Officers and after a short time everyone got to know each other. Every incident involving an UNPOL member whether it was positive or negative, travelled the island pretty quickly.

During my time there I heard many stories concerning previous Irish contingent members. About assistance they provided, some good deeds or kind gestures they made or friendships they cultivated and by and large the vast majority of the comments were very positive. The Irish are generally perceived to be professional, practical, dependable problem solvers. There was a strong sense of pride in wearing the Irish uniform there and that’s as it should be and long may it continue.