NEW ZEALAND: Punjab-born Mandeep Kaur promoted to senior sergeant rank

WELLINGTON: It’s a matter of great pride as Punjab-born female police officer Mandeep Kaur in New Zealand was promoted to senior sergeant rank in the month of March.

52-year-old Mandeep Kaur was presented with her new badge by NZ police commissioner Andrea Coster at a ceremony in Wellington in March.

She began her career in law enforcement 17 years ago when she joined the department in 2004. Since then, she has only improved and built on her strengths to become an inspiration for many Indians.

High Commissioner of India to NZ Shri Muktesh Pardeshi received Inspector Rakesh Naidoo & newly appointed Senior Sergeant Mandeep Sidhu of NZ Police & discussed policing & community engagement. He presented a book on Guru Nanak Dev Ji to Sergeant Sidhu.@nzpolice @MukteshPardeshi pic.twitter.com/r6k7CTy1p3

— India in New Zealand (@IndiainNZ) March 9, 2021

On her background, before her promotion she was an ethnic people’s community relations officer at Henderson Police Station in Waitemata. After the promotion, she was moved to the police headquarters in Wellington.

Kaur moved to New Zealand as an immigrant from Punjab’s Malwa district. And what makes her journey worthwhile is that she had to face many odds as she grew up, one of them being her conservative family.

Before moving to New Zealand, Kaur spent some time in Australia after having moved there at age 26. After living there for a short period, she moved to New Zealand and initially worked as a taxi driver before joining the police force, the website notes.

She also has experience as an officer in road policing, family violence, investigation support, neighbourhood policing, and community policing.

As a community relations officer, Kaur has attended a host of programmes and community meetings in the past decade. She has dealt with family violence victims and offered ethnic and cultural advice to families and individuals.

She mentioned the experiences and challenges she has to face raising two of her own children.

• Kaur is now a powerful voice in the NZ police department. She has even formed a New Zealand Police bhangra dancing group that performs during festivals.

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