Norbert Wienold was a police officer with the Paderborn district police authority for 30 years. During this time, he spent a total of six years abroad on various EU and UN missions. And retired from the last mission, which took him to Somalia.
Wienold set off on his first Kosovo mission in 2001. "At the time, my interest was sparked by a colleague who was preparing for just such a mission," he explains. "And then, of course, I had to go through the whole process: English test, basic training, preparatory course, health check, the whole usual program."
In Kosovo, Norbert Wienold headed the local police station and advised on the development of the local police force, structural improvements and the adoption of Western standards. In the second EU mission in Bosnia from 2004-2005, he was also head of the local mission station in the north-east of the country and advised the local police leadership. But: "Every mission is different, there is no routine. The tasks can change during the course of the stay. The people and cultures are also different every time," explains Wienold.
He also had this experience in Afghanistan, where he was deployed in 2010 and 2012. "In general, it was difficult to gain the acceptance of the locals. We were under quite critical observation here, especially our female colleagues." Training the dog handlers there was also a special challenge: "For us, dogs are complete partners in our daily work, which was very difficult to convey there."
In addition, there was the omnipresent threat situation. Norbert Wienold will never forget spending 12 hours in a bunker during a rocket alert in Kabul. "What I missed most was the freedom to do what I wanted, to go anywhere I wanted without restrictions and spontaneously," he emphasizes. From 2017 to 2018, he worked for the UN in Sudan to protect the civilian population threatened by militias. "In the team sites outside the headquarters, there were basically only the living containers. You were only allowed to move around when accompanied by the military." In Afghanistan and later in Somalia, he had already had to get used to the fact that trips were only possible on request and with an escort, always depending on the daily threat situation. The coronavirus pandemic then further restricted Wienold's last assignment abroad: He supervised the UN Somalia mission from 2019-2021 from his home office for eight months in between before he was able to work in the field again.
So why do he keep going on foreign missions at regular intervals? To consciously expose himself to danger, to repeatedly adapt to other countries, cultures and nations, to say goodbye each time, to arrive back in Germany?
Norbert Wienold summarizes: "It's not just called a "mission" on paper. For me, my job as a police officer means a personal mission to impart relevant knowledge in other countries, to do development work and to provide support. The international cooperation is extraordinary and fascinating; I wouldn't otherwise have gotten to know cultures, customs and traditions so intensively. I was able to immerse myself more deeply in social strata than is possible on vacation, for example. Fortunately, I have always returned from abroad unscathed, for which I am very grateful."
The exciting question remains as to what private mission Norbert Wienold has planned for his retirement? "Nothing concrete has been decided yet, I'm sure I'll continue to be drawn abroad, but I'm definitely not planning a beach vacation on Mallorca," he smiles.
