Police World Edition 4 2014

Article

Gimborn report Tom Chisholm, from Birmingham West Midlands branch, reports on the ‘Violence Against the State’ seminar he attended at the IBZ Gimborn conference centre, Germany. T his was my third trip to Gimborn, having spoken at two previous seminars on the subjects of Organised Crime and Illegal interesting view shared by some of the delegates, but not those present who work for the tough German riot police. For those who haven’t been, the conference centre is based within an old Castle situated approximately 30 miles from Cologne, Germany. The hamlet of Gimborn has a population of about 28 people and is located in a rural area, surrounded by forest and open fields. Left to right: Sven Shutt, Tom Chisholm and two German Colleagues - Felix and Stefan

Drug use. The ‘Violence against the State’ seminar attracted attendees from Ireland, Germany, Cyprus, Sweden and the UK. Its purpose was to identify and discuss the issues of organised violence directed at police or the state and the issues faced by police in dealing with it. Paul Anderson from Nottinghamshire police was the first speaker. Paul was able to share his experience as a policing Commander in a UK city and reflected on the UK riots of 2011, discussing the policing of the disorder as it reached Nottinghamshire. Paul also discussed the daily compromises of resourcing a large area that required intense policing to deal with serious violence and gang crime (Nottingham city centre), and the impact in removing services from other areas. A final discussion on the ethics of the use of force by police challenged officers to consider the potential impact of using force and how such force can be interpreted by the public. The second speaker, Robert Reilly, of Garda Siochana, provided a fascinating insight into the history of the IRA, from its emergence in 1913 to its continued existence today. Robert was able to shine a light on the various splinter groups and provided comment on the challenges now faced by the IRA from organised crime groups within Ireland. On Wednesday, the delegates attended a lecture at Dortmund police station where they met Volker Kraja, a prominent social scientist from the University of Dortmund. Volka discussed a wide range of topics, living up to his reputation as a controversial speaker by challenging the behaviour of police officers, presenting an argument that the presence of heavily armed riot police actually presents a gladiatorial challenge to crowds and encourages rioting. An

The lecture was followed by a tour of Dortmund police station, led by the Chief Officer of the operations centre who proudly showed us his newly acquired major incident control room. On Thursday, we were joined again by Volker Kraja who provided another interesting and controversial lecture on violence committed by the state. Volker was able to use events in German history to explore social norms and generate an ethical debate about the police’s representation of the state. Our final lecture was provided by Mike Behrens and Julia Refardt from the Munster state riot police. The officers provided case studies of violent groups within Germany, ranging from the far left activist, the ‘Ultra’ football movement, to far right Nazis and the sinister ‘Unsterlichen Bautzen’(mask wearing neo nazi ‘flash mobs’). The officers discussed their tactics and training and provided footage of public order situations they had experienced. It was clear that there are many parallels between German far left and right groups and those experienced here in the UK. On Friday, the delegates were tasked to consider a range of pre-emptive tactics to prevent violence and present to the group, where a clear and consistent theme emerged regarding communication with groups prior to, and throughout, any demonstrations. Those who have been on previous seminars will already know how great the Gimborn experience is. The seminars are always well planned and the subjects are always interesting, provided by informed speakers who are able to provide many different experiences and view points. One will always leave Gimborn with many new friends, and the realisation that we share many similar experiences and values with colleagues around the world.

Accommodation is provided either within the castle or at two separate annexes nearby, many guests share a double room, although it is possible to have a private single room for a small additional fee. Meals are provided at the nearby ‘Schloss’ Hotel’, opposite the castle. Tom Chisholm , Birmingham West Midlands branch Gimborn Appeal Gimborn UK Liaison Officer, Sean Hannigan, has made a direct appeal to any serving UK officer who can speak particular languages to contact him with a view to their attending Gimborn seminars, or even participating as key-note speakers. The list of languages referred to are: Polish, Norwegian, Romanian, German, Dutch, Italian, French and Spanish. Replies can be sent direct to Sean on vpHannigan@ipa-uk.org Terms and Conditions Change Section UK members can get a refund of the participation cost once in every three calendar years (except for single room supplement and extra nights). This means those who participated in 2013 can receive a refund during 2016; if participation was during 2014 a refund will be due during 2017. This offer is not available to those enrolling under the free membership promotion, although an option to pay the standard enrolment fee is available. For more information visit: www. ipa-uk.org/Gimborn-About

POLICE WORLD Vol 59 No. 4, 2014

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