Same Planet, Different Worlds

John Duncanson

Description

This book is for the Ministry of Defence Police constables whose professionalism, dedication and commitment was tested and proved beyond doubt, whilst seconded to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo. After years of relative boredom and the humdrum of repetitive plodding behind Coulport's protective security fences, John Duncanson, and a selection of his fellow police officers, chose to temporarily rid themselves of the adopted tag 'glorified security guards' by volunteering for a United Nations peacekeeping deployment to Kosovo. Little did they know what waited for them as they stepped onto the tarmac at Pristina airport but they were soon to learn as they had to adapt to living on the same planet, but a totally different world...

Sujets

• Lettres et linguistique
• Peacekeeping
• Kosovo

Informations

• Publié par: Andrews UK
• Date de parution: 23 septembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781908336583
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Title page
Same Planet, Different Worlds
UNMIK and the Ministry of Defence Police Chief Constables
John Duncanson





Publisher information
2015 digital version by Andrews UK Limited
www.andrewsuk.com
First published in Great Britain by
Menin House Publishers 2015
© 2015 John Duncanson
All rights reserved. Apart from any use under UK copyright law no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without prior written permission of the publisher or John Duncanson, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent publisher.
Cover design by Vivian Foster@Bookscribe
Menin House is an imprint of
Tommies Guides Military Book Specialists
Gemini House
136–140 Old Shoreham Road
Brighton
BN3 7BD
www.tommiesguides.co.uk



Dedication
This book is for the Ministry of Defence Police constables whose professionalism, dedication and commitment was tested and proven beyond doubt, whilst seconded to the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo.
John Duncanson



Epigraph
“Morale is the capacity of a group of people to pull together persistently and consistently in pursuit of a common purpose.”
Alexander H. Leighton



Acknowledgements
I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the many people without whom I could not have contemplated the idea of writing this, my first and most probably my last, book.
My former MDP friends and colleagues have been a tremendous help in assisting me and reminding me of dates, people, places and situations; I’m exceedingly grateful to you.
I also want to thank my former MDP colleagues who made contributions to the book by supplying me with details of their own endeavours while working, at times, in a very arduous and hostile environment.
Alasdair (AJ) Stewart, Alex Robertson, Allan Barr, Alun Ferguson, the late great Billy Boyle, Calvin Tonks, Christian Linetty, Dave White, David McLean, Davy Rodden, Frank Granger, Geoff Heal, Glyn Wilson, Greig Henderson, Ian Barwick, Ian Drummond, Ian Gibson, Jim Gillen, Jim Moore, John Pearson, Jonathan Tyndall, Mark Cunningham, Martin Walsh, Reyburn Logie, Pat Kearney and Rob Foster.
I’d like to thank former UNMIK colleagues, KPS officers and close friends who gave me their support, guidance and assistance (during my three UN missions), especially during periods of time when I was under extreme pressure.
Alan Phillips, Aleksandar Markovic, Alice Holmes , Arsim Krasniqi, Amod Kumar, Andrey Yudin, Armin Muth, Biljana Djuric, Chuck Pagliuca, Daniel Chira, Dave King, David Carter, Davie Hutton, Ed Cottrell, Enriko Waldmann, Fehim Pantina, Felix Okediji, Flavius Crisan, Frank Becker, Gary Smith, Gene Ray, Guenter Rundel, Horst Decker, James Fern, Jan Ravnholt, Jocken Kehl, John Foreman MBE, John Powell, Kaiwan (Kevin) Abbassi, Larry Miller, Lebzo Mohammad, Lidija Vasic, Mark Hansingo, Marius Cristea, Mariyan Dimitrov, Mary Beth Lovett, Miljan (Kani) Radivojevic, Nils Brauer, Olga Stefanovic, Paul Okruhlik, Pavel Dergaiev, Ralf Ossarek, Randy Darty, Raymond Guthy, Roger Phillips, Sanjay Yenpure, Sakher Alfarah, Scott Brown, Serkan Serin, Stan Osterhoudt, Spyridon Varsamas, Stefanos (Steve) Michailidis, Sury Pras Niraula, Suzie Foreman, Thomas Owens, Thomas Wilfong, Van Williams, William Darko, Zoran Kurz.
Thanks to David Keefe, Jim Mcginley, Mariyan Dimitrov, The Kosovo Police and Someone's Sons for allowing me to use your photographs.
I’d specially like to thank retired colleague Sergeant Ray Tidswell (Ministry of Defence Police) who supplied me with invaluable information regarding the MDP and its history. At one point Ray was hospitalised; however, from his hospital bed Ray continued to assist me in my research.
Finally thank you to retired MDP Superintendent, good friend (and former UK2 Contingent Commander) Andy Kirkwood who, when others wanted to hang me out to dry, made the decision not to send me home after I fell foul of the MDP disciplinary code during my second mission. Andy, thank you for that second chance. You turned my life around.
If I missed you out, I’m sorry, I just forgot.



On peacekeeping
“Peacekeeping has proven to be one of the most effective tools available to the UN to assist host countries navigate the difficult path from conflict to peace.
Peacekeeping has unique strengths including legitimacy, burden sharing, and an ability to deploy and sustain troops and police from around the globe, integrating them with civilian peacekeepers to advance multi-dimensional mandates.
UN Peacekeepers provide security and the political and peace building support to help countries make the difficult, early transition from conflict to peace.
UN Peacekeeping is guided by three basic principles: Consent of the parties Impartiality Non-use of force except in self-defence and defence of the mandate
Peacekeeping is flexible and over the past two decades has been deployed in many configurations. There are currently 16 UN peace operations deployed on four continents.
Today’s multidimensional peacekeeping operations are called upon not only to maintain peace and security, but also to facilitate the political process, protect civilians, assist in the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of former combatants; support the organization of elections, protect and promote human rights and assist in restoring the rule of law.
Success is never guaranteed, because UN Peacekeeping almost by definition goes to the most physically and politically difficult environments. However, we have built up a demonstrable record of success over our 60 years of existence, including winning the Nobel Peace Prize.”
George Clooney - Actor and United Nations Messenger of Peace



Introduction
The Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) is currently deployed at numerous defence locations around the United Kingdom. These include military establishments, defence housing estates, military training areas, the Atomic Weapons Establishment and the Royal dockyards.
I joined the MDP in April 1990 and was posted to the Royal Naval Armament Depot (RNAD) Coulport (in Argyll, Scotland); a storage and loading facility for the UK’s stock of nuclear warheads.
After years of relative boredom and the humdrum repetitive role of plodding behind Coulport’s protective security fences, an opportunity arose for its officers to temporarily rid themselves of the adopted tag ‘glorified security guards’ when volunteers were sought for a United Nations overseas peacekeeping deployment.
On 6 June 2000, after months of speculation and deliberation, the MDP incredibly deployed somewhere in the region of fifty-five officers to the United Nation Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The UN English speaking and non-ranking mission which required an armed international police presence, was the first of many of the MDP’s overseas Kosovo secondments.
Kosovo was a former autonomous province within the Republic of Serbia, which itself is a former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.
My initial thoughts on the deployment were of excitement then fear. The thought of having an opportunity to escape from Coulport’s big cage to work (with the United Nations) in the outside world and in a foreign territory was immediately appealing. However, my excitement quickly turned to fear and apprehension.
In 1999 Kosovo had been at war, thousands of innocent people were killed and in 2000 people were still being killed and seriously injured. Angry mobs were fighting against UN military peacekeepers, the recently formed local police and the United Nations international police. Although I seriously thought about it, I decided not to volunteer for that first MDP deployment.
Gradually my curiosity got the better of me and I started to think again, and at times for pretty ridiculous reasons - no one would be around to tell me ‘make sure you tidy up, and make the bed’, or ‘don’t think you’re going to the pub tonight’, and ‘that T-shirt needs ironing.’
After months of discussions, then arguments, my wife reluctantly succumbed to my persistent antagonistic outbursts; my sons, Jamie (17) and Stephen (13) did not get involved.
One year to the day after the first deployment and after completing three weeks intensive pre-deployment training I was on a plane with the second MDP UK2 contingent bound for Pristina International Airport, Kosovo. I would become an UNMIK international (civilian) police officer (CIVPOL), seconded by the UN to uphold law and order in the violent and dangerous post-war and ethnically divided territory of Kosovo. That mission was a gigantic step for the MDP and an enormous challenge, especially for its police constables and specifically those serving at RNAD Coulport; one nuclear guarding establishment which is certainly not known for its high crime statistics.
I was one of around fifty MDP officers (of various ranks) who travelled out to the south-eastern Balkan peninsular to relieve the first MDP contingent that deployed the previous year. At that time, secondments usually lasted twelve months, however, six month extensions were normally granted.
Police colleagues from the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC), today called Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI), were already present in Kosovo (since 1999); although, by 2002 all but a few had returned home, ending the RUC’s official commitment to Kosovo. I spent eight years working between Coulport and Kosovo and of those eight years, I spent a total of just under