How can police officers maintain peace when they themselves struggle to achieve it?
A short new documentary film shows how the Peace Education Program offered by The Prem Rawat Foundation is helping law enforcement in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, to cultivate calmness, reduce police stress and create change in work culture.
Jesus Daniel Quevedo, a Playa del Carmen police officer, is encouraged by the positive effects the program has had on him personally.
“I think it has also greatly influenced my colleagues who have taken these workshops, because I see a police force that is different. All the bad things that are said about the police – I think it’s changing,” says Quevedo.
Watch this documentary to hear these “peace officers” share their experience of the Peace Education Program and their vision for the future of law enforcement.
A Force For Change
In Playa del Carmen in the state of Quintana Roo, Mexico, the stress level of officers is extremely high. After all, they feel as if they are going into a war zone every day. According to Maria Elena Morera, president of Causa en Común, “It’s easy to kill a police officer in Mexico.”
Officer Quevedo reinforces the reality of the challenges that police face:
“This city is very, very, very violent — so many assaults, robberies. So a police force that is well-prepared physically, mentally, emotionally, will be able to have a more peaceful society,” says Quevedo.
Fortunately, the new documentary highlights how the Peace Education Program is helping prepare officers such as Quevedo for the demands of their work. The program can help reduce police stress by providing tools that work on a fundamental level, according to Quevedo and other participants in the film. As such, participants may experience a positive internal shift that supports their emotional and mental well-being. It is also helping improve the way officers relate to their community, they say.
“Historically, the police have tended to work separately from the people. The culture of the Peace Education Program helps with the challenge of that approach because it seeks to first transform this element – me, the policeman – being at peace with myself.” – Valentín Contreras, Police Training Director
Undeniably, the film shows how the program is facilitating positive transformation in Quintana Roo. Many are praising its benefits.
One participant, Yadira Trejo Hernández, who noted that it was now possible to come to work with a smile on her face, also had this to say:
“I would invite police forces in other countries to take the course and implement it, because it works. It worked for me, and I guarantee that your life will be better.”
No Cultural or Social Borders
The program has been warmly received by police officers beyond Mexico. In another uplifting documentary video, you can see a group of enthusiastic police in Cusco, Peru join with school administrators, teachers and students as they use the Peace Education Program to help calm violence and build a new culture in their community.
The Success is Growing
Thousands of police have now taken part in the Peace Education Program. Interest in the program is growing as news about its success spreads. Certainly, many reports of the positive effects on reducing police stress are central to this growing interest.
Here are key locations where the program is having an impact on law enforcement participants:
- Vera Cruz, Mexico
- Port Louis, Mauritius
- San Miguel de Allende, Mexico
- Cancun, Mexico
- Playa Del Carmen, Mexico
- Cusco, Peru