March/April 2009 Issue

Kingdom Matters
Canadian Police Help in Namibia
By Christina Crook

Abbotsford, B.C., and Windhoek, Namibia, could not be more different: one a farming suburb in a lush Canadian valley and the other a bustling national capital in hot southwestern Africa.

That didn’t keep three Canadian police force veterans from travelling to Namibia last year to share their expertise. The request came through South and West Africa Missions (SWAM), an agency with offices in B.C.: Was there a Canadian police force interested in being a “big brother” to a newly established Namibian force?

“When I received the request, my mind settled on the Abbotsford police department,” recalls Brian Gannon, a former police officer. He eventually went to Namibia himself, together with Rick Lucy, deputy chief of the Abbotsford police, and a police superintendant from Toronto.

Gannon, who has brought together teams to teach ethics in ex-Communist countries like Albania and Estonia, has always had a heart for police officers and the Church to come closer together.

“I was a police officer in the late 1970s but not a Christian at the time. Since becoming a believer, I have always wanted to help officers in what has become a very stressful and dangerous vocation. The work is now forcing many officers to seek help as the divorce rate is off the wall.”

Before the team of Canadian officers arrived in Namibia, the Windhoek police had done a remarkable job of gaining the citizens’ confidence in two short years. “It has helped that two of the top leaders are believers,” explains Gannon. “Even here God’s hand was and is at work.”

The Canadians presented senior officers in Windhoek with a model of how Canadian police handle the subject of ethics, based on the Bible, and how to plan for a progressive police department. The Windhoek police have since paid a visit to Abbotsford to establish an ongoing partnership.

“In all the countries I have taken police into, the need for Christian ministry is huge,” says Gannon. “Faith is often stepping out to a place where there is a need that one would never know about if you didn’t go there.”