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Good Advice
Recently enrolled member Pete Bennett from
Truro is a timely reminder to Regions and
Branches that a prime time to approach police
personnel about IPA membership is prior to
their retirement.
Speaking about his win of an IPA t-shirt, Pete
says, “after a wide variety of roles over nearly 30
years, retirement is now looming fast and I didn’t
want to completely lose touch with the policing
community. The IPA allows me to retain an
overview and also offers a broader perspective of
international policing, with opportunities for travel
in the UK and abroad.”
Pete won the IPA t-shirt in the monthly draw of
new members carried out each month. We wish
Pete the very best for his forthcoming retirement.
If you know someone nearing retirement -
encourage them to join under the FREE Enrolment
promotion
http://www.ipa-uk.org/Join-UsLeicestershire
return
to London
Following last year’s visit to the Tower of
London to see the ‘Blood Swept Lands and Sea
of Red’ poppy display, Leicestershire Branch
returned earlier in the year to witness the
Ceremony of the Keys.
At 7.30pm our guide, Andy, took about 80
visitors on a one hour tour and told us all the
gory, macabre unpleasantries of the Tower over
many centuries. Beheadings, putting so-called
traitors into Traitor’s Gate to be drowned by the
incoming tide.
Legend has it that 6 ravens must always be kept
at the Tower otherwise the walls will crumble.
To be on the safe side 7 are homed there. Their
wings are clipped and they have cages to roost in.
A warder is paid extra to care for them.
About 140 people comprising of 37 families,
including a doctor and a vicar live in
accommodation inside the Tower walls.
We witnessed the ceremony which starts at 10pm
and lasts 7 minutes. The routine is centuries old
and is, as you may think, the locking of the main
gates. It is carried out by guards, the same as
those outside Buckingham Palace. After that 4
soldiers in combat uniform patrol inside the Tower
wall for the night guarding the Crown Jewels, etc.
During the evening we warmed up in the Yeoman
Warders’ Club where Jasmine served us, without
ceremony, real British food of chicken tikka
masala and rice (her description) and profiteroles.
Jim Johnson
, Leicestershire Branch
PS: During sightseeing before the Tower, we were
fortunate enough to find several of the 50 ‘Shaun
the Sheep’ models that had been launched
only a few days earlier to help raise funds for a
children’s charity. The models act as collecting
boxes and are part of a trail through the City of
London. Later in the year another 70 models will
be launched in Bristol.
Turkish Delight
IPA Friends Ken Ashburn and David Winnard,
together with their wives, visited the Turkish
Island of Bozcaada and surprised a local
police officer.
In May 2015 my wife and I together with IPA
friend Ken Ashburn and his wife Eileen were on
a cruise in the Eastern Mediterranean when we
visited the small Turkish Island of Bozcaada.
Within 100 yards of landing we came across the
Police Station and we spoke to the officer on duty
outside. The officer, Serkan Alasoy, turned out
to be an IPA member and he was surprised as
we were the first overseas IPA members he had
ever met. Bozcaada is not on the normal tourist
trail and our cruise ship was the first to visit the
island.
Serkan, who has been a member of the IPA for
4 years, made us very welcome, and introduced
us to his wife and two sons. We all enjoyed the
surprise meeting despite the language problems
encountered. This shows that in the most unlikely
locations we can get the opportunity to meet IPA
members to enjoy our common bond.
It appears that Bozcaada has a police
establishment of 22 officers to attend to all
aspects of policing, not all are IPA members, but
we were pleased our chance visit allowed us to
meet Serkan and his family.
David C Winnard
, Blackpool and North
Lancashire Branch
French
Thanks
IPA Section France say
thank you
following
the tide of solidarity after operation ‘Charlie’
On 7, 8 and 9 January 2015, France witnessed
tragic events, during which 3 of our colleagues
lost their lives and 5 others were injured.
Rose Lourme, President IPA France writes,
‘You have shown support to our colleagues
who were deeply traumatised. Three
colleagues have lost their lives and their
families were thrown into distress and
sadness, and you were at the side of those
who suffered. We appreciate all these
messages of sympathy, and IPA France will
forever be grateful to you for all of this.’
(left to right) Ken Ashburn,
Serkan Alasoy and David Winnard
© Thomas Owen Jenkins / Shutterstock
POLICE WORLD
Vol 60 No. 3, 2015
IPA News
21