Detective Constable Mustafa Popalzai is leveraging his lived experience as a former refugee to build trust and support Canada’s newest residents.
When Mustafa Popalzai arrived in Canada as a 14-year-old refugee from Afghanistan, he had little more than hope. Today, the Toronto police Detective Constable is a driving force behind a grassroots initiative to change lives for thousands of newcomers, while helping heal the mistrust many carry from painful encounters with police in their homelands.
The Challenge of Building Trust
For some who have fled conflict, a uniform does not immediately signal safety. While every refugee’s journey is unique, some arrive with a direct lived experience of authority figures being sources of fear rather than protection. This history can create a barrier, making some newcomers hesitant to report crimes or seek help as they navigate a new society. Mustafa’s own path from a refugee to an officer was far from simple. After settling in Ottawa, he earned a master’s degree in legal studies at Carleton University, yet a deep-seated distrust of police remained throughout his youth.
A Catalyst for Action
His perspective shifted only after taking a civilian job with the Ottawa Police Service, where he realized policing in Canada could be different. He joined the Toronto Police Service in 2014, but his mission took on a new urgency in August 2021. When the Taliban returned to power, Mustafa and his police partner, Farzad Ghotbi—also a former refugee—watched videos of desperate people clinging to departing planes in Kabul. Seeing them fall from the sky was a haunting reminder of the life they once fled. They knew they had to act.
Bridging Gaps Through Project Hope
The duo drove to a hotel near Toronto Pearson Airport where newly arrived families were being housed. What began as a visit to check on families wearing only the clothes on their backs turned into Project Hope, a nod to the one thing every refugee carries with them.
“Hope is all we had when we came to Canada,” Mustafa says. “That’s what every newcomer has.”
Using social media, they rallied fellow officers to donate clothes, diapers and baby formula. Today, the initiative supports a global community of newcomers from Syria, Ukraine, Gaza, over a dozen African nations and several Latin American countries, providing mentorship and sessions that explain the role of police in Canada. By showing that an officer can be a partner in their safety, Mustafa is helping to replace old fears with a new foundation of trust.
A Vision for Inclusion
The success of Project Hope demonstrates that when newcomers feel secure, they are better positioned to contribute to their new communities. Mustafa now dreams of scaling the initiative into a national program in every Canadian city.
“Canada is built on newcomers,” he says. “We need a structured, official program in every city—one that connects police with refugee and newcomer communities.”
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, protects people forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution. We save lives, protect rights and help build better futures.
Visit unhcr.ca to see how you can help refugees and how they contribute to communities that welcome them.
