Article
POLICE WORLD
Vol 59 No. 4, 2014
Good Evans!
London (North of the Thames) Branch - formerly Middlesex branch
- has risen from its slumber in recent months and a key mover in its
re-awakening has been Martyn Evans, branch Secretary. Section UK's
Communication Manager, Lib Jones, noticed the activity in social media
and asked Martyn to explain how it is he’s achieved so much in such a
short period of time.
M
artyn writes:
Before being an IPA
member, I put off applying for months
until one day I was asked to conduct a
station tour for ten Swedish Officers. I was pleased
to conduct the tour and having met some brilliant
people who had interesting stories to tell I signed
up that day – in November 2012. I joined the
Hertfordshire Branch until I went to work for the
Metropolitan Police in the Enfield Borough.
I transferred to the then named Middlesex Branch.
I remember my first IPA meeting where I learned
that the Branch was inactive apart from a small
number of people and saw this as a shame given
the location of the branch and that people across
the world come to London. I put forward a number
of suggestions to bring the branch back to life and
ended up walking out of the meeting having been
voted Branch Secretary. It was time to start work.
My first task was to get existing members to
reconnect and become involved again. I started
contacting members to get a feel for who was who
and to get ideas of the things they as a branch
wanted. I also asked for feedback on what we as
a branch can do to reignite the branch and gave
members my personal contact details to add a
personal touch. The feedback was varied and in
short consisted of members wanting to get together
socially, getting involved in hosting visitors and
becoming more family orientated.
My second task was to start building contacts with
other branches and that was easily done. I turned
to Facebook and Twitter where I learned that a
number of branches had groups; I very quickly
jumped on the band wagon and promoted this.
This was the start of what would become massive
growth (from my starting point). Members of varying
ages quickly signed up. This has enabled me to post
news stories, add upcoming events where members
can click to indicate if they are attending and more
importantly it has helped us bond with members
worldwide. I myself have personally made friends
through this.
I also turned to Twitter (username @sec_middxipa).
Not only could I connect with members I was able
to speak with non members, many of whom had
never heard of the IPA. I use the account to promote
news stories, current affairs within the police and
to promote the IPA by referring people to the IPA
website. This approach has been extremely valuable
and I can honestly say that it has helped me to get
new members. I am also trialling a Region 9 blog
page. So far, it has seen a number of people signing
up for instant notifications of new posts and has
received positive feedback.
When I realised the hard work was not reflected
in the number of new applications being received
I discovered ‘Middlesex’ branch was being
overlooked and people were joining other London
branches. I went to the branch Chair and Regional
Chair and explained what I had found out. A vote by
members to change the branch name soon went
ahead.
During my short time as Branch Secretary I have
seen a MASSIVE transformation of the branch
which has been widely recognised. We are now
receiving new applications every week. I personally
contact every new member to introduce myself,
tell them of upcoming events and to encourage
them to join our social media groups. Keeping new
members engaged from day one is paying off. We
are taking steps to encourage visitors to our region
and we have built up relationships with popular
London tourist attractions meaning we can access
a number of venues with visitors. I am also in the
process of speaking with management from the
Metropolitan Police about increasing our ability to
host visitors on development exchanges.
Feedback
In a survey of members enrolled between 1
January – 30 September 2014, we received the
following positive feedback:
Q
: How does the IPA, as an organisation, compare
to other membership organisations of which you
have experience?
A
: About the same;
A
: Very good... multiple ways to contact and keep
updated;
A
: Very highly. Since joining the IPA I have become
involved and warmly welcomed by my branch;
A
: I am still exploring the benefits that the IPA
offer. So far I have been mainly involved in the
Defensive Tactics Group which has been excellent
and goes from strength to strength. I look forward
to sampling some of the other elements of the IPA,
in particular education and courses/seminars.
A
: Good magazines, online section and networking.
A
: Very similar in most ways but the IPA feels more
personal/friendly.
Q
: What particular aspects of service to you as a
member do we do well?
A
: Facebook... networking is very good. I love reading
the magazine.
A
: The IPA is a very professional organisation as well
as a friendly one. Since joining I have had a few
occasions where I have contacted the IPA both by
email and on the phone. On all occasions my queries
have been answered quickly.
A
: Newsletter.
A
: First class information networking and putting
officers in contact with people who can help. An
example would be my request to meet up with officers
in New York city. I was put in contact with very helpful
IPA members there.
A
: Administration.
A
: Updates and news.
A
: The UK website is kept up to date and contains
useful information and the staff are all really helpful.
A
: Keeping me informed via the magazine and
emails.
A
: The network of like-minded people and the
opportunities to meet others.
The survey also provided the Section with ideas for
improvement and all points are being considered
and action taken.
Those completing the survey were invited to
enter their names into a prize draw. The winner of
the draw was Chris Beards of Birmingham, West
Midlands Branch. Chris won an IPA T-Shirt.
Martyn Evans
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