News release

Ridge Meadows RCMP Sergeant participates in international policing deployment to Ukraine

August 8, 2025 - Maple Ridge, Pitt Meadows, British Columbia
From: Ridge Meadows RCMP

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August 9th is International Peacekeeper’s Day, and an opportunity to acknowledge officers who have been deployed overseas as part of RCMP’s International Policing Program.

This July also marked the 10th anniversary of the Canadian Police Mission in Ukraine.

Canada supports Ukraine’s police reform through a bilateral agreement, the objective being to support Ukraine building the capacity, effectiveness, and sustainability of their police services.

While most people are familiar with the current Russia-Ukraine conflict making headlines, they are typically unaware of the work done behind the scenes by RCMP officers helping train and mentor Ukrainian police officers to help stabilize their country.

One of our own, Ridge Meadows RCMP Sergeant Daniel Rettenbacher, recently participated in an overseas deployment to Ukraine, as part of the RCMP’s International Policing Program, and was kind enough to share his experience.

"I was initially deployed to Warsaw, Poland and would travel between the two countries making arrangements and meeting personnel to assesses training requirements," says Sgt. Rettenbacher. "As one of the few officers deployed with a use of force training background, most of my time over there was dedicated to training and course development."

In response to a request from Ukrainian police, Sgt. Rettenbacher developed a training standard and full curriculum for Immediate Action Rapid Deployment (IARD) training, modeled on the RCMP’s program.

"You had to be very flexible and try to improve course delivery and local adaptability based on feedback from instructors and participants," says Sgt. Rettenbacher. "In time, I eventually facilitated the training of instructors who subsequently delivered the training to School Safety Officers across Ukraine."

He eventually transitioned from direct instruction to mentoring trainers during the last few months of his 13-month deployment, which aligned with the mission’s goals of capacity-building and sustainability.

"The ultimate goal is to establish a program that the Ukrainians can take over with next to no Canadian involvement," says Sgt. Rettenbacher. By the end of my deployment, we had a very good course with a great pool of Ukrainian instructors."

Reflecting on his time there, Rettenbacher says he is proud of the work that he and his colleagues engaged in and where the programming and courses were when he left.

"We also supported training initiatives with Canadian medics and instructors, as well as leadership courses and community policing and school safety programs."

Sgt. Rettenbacher recently received two commendations from the RCMP including a Special Service Medal and an Operational Service Medal as a result of his deployment in Ukraine.

The Ridge Meadows RCMP is proud to support international deployment opportunities for our officers and the benefit it provides, not only sovereign foreign nations, but also helping create a safer and more stable global environment in the process.

For more information on the RCMP’s International Policing Program please visit RCMP’s website.