Inspired by the Humans of New York photoblog, we’re showcasing some of the incredible stories and experience of people throughout our organisation.
Mandeep, Senior Sergeant, Liaison Māori, Pacific and Ethnic Services at PNHQ
I was born in the State of Punjab in India. My dream of joining Police first emerged when my late mother used to say, “if you were a boy you could have joined the police”. However, it remained a dream and I got married in 1986 before I turned 18. I have two beautiful children from that marriage.
At the age of 24, I became a single mother to my daughter, Parneet Kaur, who was 4 years old, and son, Amardeep Singh, who was 2 years old at that time. I completed my Bachelor of Arts with sociology and political science after giving birth to Parneet.
Along with joining the police, my other dream was to study at post-graduate level, which became challenging for me as a single mother.
I left India in 1996 for a better life for myself and my children. However, due to a custody battle I had to leave both of my children with my parents and travelled to Australia as a student.
In 1999, I moved to New Zealand and did odd jobs which included taxi driving, working as a forecourt attendant and working as an administrator at a training institute. In 2002, my childhood dream reignited to pursue my prospects of joining Police, as the cultural constraints of being a male were not the same as I faced as a child in Punjab.
I had to overcome several mental and physical challenges to join Police, but the biggest challenge was mentally preparing to wear a swimming costume in public to be able to learn to swim.
In 2004, I joined New Zealand Police and became the first Indian-born female police officer in New Zealand.
Since joining New Zealand Police, I have policed in Tāmaki Makaurau and rural policing in Pahiatua. Much of my career has been spent in family harm and community policing. In 2012, I accomplished my other dream of studying at post-graduate level and completed a post-graduate diploma in business administration from Waikato university.
In March 2019, Penguin Random House published a book called Women Kind, which profiled 52 New Zealand women. I was profiled as one of those 52 women. These women have set out to make a difference in the world internationally and in their local communities.
I have represented the Police nationally, internationally, in radio, television and written media but most importantly, within the communities that I have strived to serve throughout my 17 years as a police officer.
I founded the well-renown police Bhangra group to encourage cultural connectivity and fitness, and I’m also a proud grandmother to my beautiful grandchildren, Oliver and Veera.
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