'Lost boy' first Sudanese graduate of Calgary police auxiliary cadets

For a good part of his life, Stephen Deng was on the run.

At the age of 11along with some 20,000other "lost boys"he fled civil war in Sudan, walking hundreds of kilometers to refugee camps in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Deng resettled in Canada 12 years ago and has just become the first Sudanese graduate of the Calgary Police Service Auxiliary Cadet program.

"It was a really very proud moment. [It] always was my dream, I wanted to serve the community."

After graduating with a degree insociology and criminology from Mount Royal University, Deng says he knew he wanted to become a police officer.

As an auxiliary cadet, he'll be mentored by a Calgary police officer and will work at a district officehelping citizens fill out police reports for traffic accidents and property damage.

Deng, who can speak six African languages, is hoping to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community.

"Police became a negative experience for most refugees," said Deng.

"They have to understand that the police there [in Sudan] and the police here are not working similarly. Police here are working with the community. They are not corrupt."

Auxiliary Cadets are paid a starting wage of $18.57 per hour.

Deng will be working full-time through the summer, and part-time in the fall, for at least a year. After that, he plans to apply for a position with the Calgary Police Service.