Women on Patrol

At nightfall in East Timor, a father kidnaps his daughter. He's suspected to be armed and dangerous, and the family is frantic. On the scene are Canadian police constables Martine LeRoyer of Montreal and Debbie Doyle of Edmonton, who have just joined the United Nations Civilian Police. Their first assignment is to rescue the little girl from a tiny, ramshackle house.

Since Indonesia occupied East Timor in 1975, the island has been devastated by horrifying violence and genocide. Now, large-scale international efforts are focused on stabilizing the region. Doyle and LeRoyer face enormous challenges on their nine-month tour of duty, from adapting to a new culture and gaining the trust of frightened communities to performing perilous and heartbreaking police work.

This gripping documentary follows the two women, from the capital of Dili to remote villages, chronicling the aftermath of the atrocities that haunt East Timor. Combining intimate interviews, up-close footage and diary cams, Women on Patrol is a riveting look at the rebuilding of a nation, and how the experience profoundly transforms these women--as police officers and as humans.