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T
he day started with a visit to Hotel de Beauvau
which is home to
the Ministry of the Interior.
We were given a presentation on the responsibilities and services
provided by the Ministry to the French Nation and brought on a guided tour
of this magnificent building with its incredible architecture and history.
Hotel de Beauvau was taken over by the Gestapo during the 2nd World War,
and we were shown the cells were members of the French Resistance were
imprisoned and tortured. Told about Individual stories of the remarkable
courage of these men and women and saw the preserved messages written
on the cell walls.
The common theme during their darkest hours being love of Family, God and
France. Following on from Hotel de Beauvau we were taken to the the Arc de
Triomphe, from where we made our way down the Champs Elysee (doing a
sneaky little beat patrol en-route).
Then came our formal march back up to the Arc de Triomphe with
representatives from the French, British and German Military. The serving
and retired officers performed a ceremonial relighting of the eternal flame at
the grave of the unknown soldier in honour of our fallen colleagues.
Marching up the Champs Elysee in our dress uniforms with our IPA
colleagues towards this Iconic monument was incredible. Standing in
solidarity with our French Colleagues during the ceremony was both an
honour and a privilege.
The event was very moving and none of us will never forget it.
Afterwards we were wonderfully entertained at Paradise Latin with good
food, great champagne, a terrific show and the most marvellous craic!
Aren’t we glad to be IPA members? We would never have had this
tremendous experience otherwise.
Merci Beaucoup IPA France
Deirdre Mahony
Chairperson Greater Belfast Branch
Eternal Flame
On Saturday 27th of February two members of the Greater Belfast Branch;
Patrick Keenan and Deirdre Mahony joined colleagues from IPA France,
Ireland, Belgium, Italy and Monaco for a wonderful
trip organised by IPA France.
Article
8
POLICE WORLD
Vol 61 No. 2, 2016