24
POLICEWORLD
Vol 59No. 2, 2014
IPANews
LessoNs LearNt
at Gimborn
IanMilliganandStevenHardy - both
fromDevonandCornwall branch,
attendedaGimborncourseon the
PhenomenonofMissingPeople in
ModernEuropeanSociety.
This course sought toexamine the issues
surroundingmissingpersons and the
variousmethods of investigation. It was
attendedby policeofficers fromCyprus,
Ireland, Germany, HongKong, Poland,
Russia, Switzerlandand theUK. The
speakers came fromSweden, Norway,
Germany and theUK.
Ian said,
“Thewealthof experiencewas
phenomenal whichwas reflected in the
quality of thepresentations and the
groupworkwhendelegateswere split into
different teams todiscuss andpresent on
case studies providedby the speakers. The
topics coveredwere variedand included
examples of operational investigations
suchas: how Interpol couldassist with
missingperson investigations, and theuse
of facial reconstruction to identify dead
bodies by theGermanpolice.”
In Ian’s opinion the first presentation, by
CharlotteWilk, aChief Superintendent from
theGothenburgPolice, Sweden, set the
standard for the rest of theweek.
Charlotte’s rolewhenonduty is operational
commander for a large rural area. She
is responsible for theassessment of
missingpersons and to take chargeof
investigations and searches.
Ian commented,
“Nodoubt, Charlotte
has experiencedmany successes, but
inabravemove, sheprovidedexamples
of caseswhere theoutcomeswerenot
happy. Theseproved tobeeducational and
demonstrated thepressures that all police
officers experience.”
Phil Shakesheff, fromWestMerciaPolice,
gavea talkabout COMPACT, a computer
systemusedby23UK forces tomanage
missingperson cases.
Steven said,
“This is a systemusedwithin
my Forceandone inwhich I would consider
myself tobeagoodpractitioner. I admit
I learnt somuchabout the system that I
wasnot evenaware I didn’t know.
Something I woulddefinitely
be feedingback tomy Force to
improvehowweuse the system in
the future.”
KarenRobinsonandSarah
Godwin gavea fascinatingand
emotivepresentation from the
UKbasedMissingPeople charity.
).
Sarah is amother whose son
was reportedmissingover 20
years agoand is stillmissing. She
gavean inspiringandpassionate
account of her circumstances andhow it
has affected the family ever since.
Steven remarked,
“As amissingperson
specialist thiswas the first time I hadheard
apresentation like this from someonewho
has suffered the consequences of havinga
missing familymember.”
Karen then gavemore insight into the
workof the charity suchas the service
called ‘Text Safe’. This serviceallows a
missingperson to contact the charity for
free. Steven said that hehad learnt that
people can thenbe signposted to thebest
adviceand support direct from the
COMPACT systemand shouldbe
consideredbest practice.
Finally, Emma Laughton,
missingpersonmanager for
NottinghamshirePolice, provided
a case studywhich showedhow
anenquiry couldbemisdirected
bywrong informationand
assessment.
Ian summeduphis experience
in saying,
“I certainly learnt a lot
from this seminar andwill be
applying the knowledgegained
whenmanagingmissingperson
investigations.
Inaddition, the knowledge
obtained from the seminar,
was enhancedby the
opportunity to interact
professionally and socially
withpolice colleagues from
other countries.”
Stevenadded,
“Thiswasmy third time
at Gimborn, and for thoseof youwho
havenever been I only haveone thing to
ask, why not?Set in stunningwoodland
surroundings, it’s the ideal setting tonot
only get away from the ‘real world’ but to
stimulate thosebrain cells inwhat are
some incredibly diverse seminars. Among
my other police roles I amaLost Person
SearchManager - so this seminar
offeredan invaluableopportunity to
engagewith likemindedofficers from
around theworld.”
International PoliceAssociation
SectionUK
For a full list of coursesand promotionaloffers visit:
Gimborn
International EducationCentreof the IPA
Gimborn seminars offerexceptional valueas they include allmeals and
accommodation in the course fee.Members of IPASectionUK benefit
from a reduced feeor full refund*and the possibilityof further subsidies
to cover travel.Allaccommodation isof ahigh standard,withen suite
facilities.Participantsmaybeaccompaniedby their spouses/partners.
Courses in2014
Beloware thedates for seminars conducted inEnglish.
3–7March
Organised crime -crossborderdelinquency
and crossborderprosecution
5–9May
Violenceagainst the state
19–23May
PoliceMissions - concepts,bestpractices
andexperiences
18-22August
Cybercrime -Crimeusingdigitalmedia
20-24October
Engagingwith victimsof crimeand road
trafficaccidents
24 -28November
Community andproblem-orientated
policing
Interested in Joining the IPA?
Formore information visit:
Additional Information:
•
Located close toCologne,Germany,CastleGimborn is the
information and education centre of the IPA.
•
Seminars attract speakers and participants -worldwide.
•
Seminars attract speakersand participants from
throughout theworld.
•
Opportunities to establish useful contacts.
•
ISO standard improves
professional standing.
*
For full terms andconditions visit:www.ipa-uk.org/Gimborn-Fees-Prizes-Booking
Inside the lecture theatre
