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Friends
Reunited
October sunshine versus UK fog and rain was the dilemma.
T
he sunshine readily won
and so off Sara
and I went to the World Congress held in
Limassol, Cyprus, swiftly followed by the
friendship week.
We had never ventured to Cyprus on our travels
but I had over the years met a number of Cypriot
colleagues at various events and in particular
Gimborn. They all told me that I was missing out
‘big style’ on some guaranteed sunshine and the
warmest of welcomes.
Back in 2013 whilst chairing a seminar on
Missing People at Gimborn I met Dinos Petrou
together with his wife and sister who similarly
encouraged me to visit the island. Dinos works as
a police officer on the Sovereign Base Area (SBA)
of Cyprus and a friendship was quickly formed.
At the opening ceremony of the World Congress
we had the chance to meet and greet each other
with a plan to go to the Sovereign Base Area
on the Wednesday of the friendship week. But
unbeknown to us our plans would be scuppered
by the landing of a 100 plus immigrants on the
RAF base within the SBA.
With the business of World Congress completed
on the first Friday it was time to catch some sun
and relax prior to embarking on the various tours
that were on offer as part of the friendship week.
Trips to Troodos Mountains, Nicosia and Paphos
followed with plenty of opportunity to sample the
local cuisine including a couple of confectionary
stops at local sweet shops as well as visiting an
array of historical sites.
It was pleasure to meet and mix with a variety of
IPA members from other Sections but fantastic
to see a number of members from the UK, not
forgetting Harry and Jean Hobbs who now live in
Cyprus and were a great source of information
about local history.
It should not have surprised me, as we see plenty
of evidence in Police World, that our members
travel widely, but it did strike me how many
members’ trips we are unaware of at HQ. I would
love to capture and promote this IPA benefit more
to other members and potential members.
Maybe the Cypriot strap line of you can ski and
swim in the same day could catch on. However I
am not sure could happen in the UK without the
sea temperatures rising a fair few degrees!
The last day quickly came with the gala dinner to
look forward to, but beforehand we managed to
meet up with Dinos and his family who had kindly
invited Sara and I to his house for lunch in lieu
of the events that had occurred on the previous
Wednesday. The wine flowed and the servings of
food helped to stem off the need for an afternoon
sleep.
Conversations were had around the IPA, families,
work and life as we know it. The work issues
are very similar no matter where you police but
through talking with others and utilising the IPA
family network ideas can be shared and working
practices refined and experiences learned from.
That is what Gimborn offers in abundance.
Before returning to the hotel we had a quick
personal tour of Ayia Naper to see the beautiful
beaches now surrounded by hotels and summer
residents from the UK.
The gala dinner passed with some splendid local
entertainment and to the dance floor Sara and I
were summoned – the Tango is not our forte but
I think we got away with it and did the UK proud
(ish).
To finish, I just want to say on behalf of Sara and
I a big thank you to the Cypriot Section for their
hospitality and friendliness, and a huge thank
you to everyone we met and for your company
throughout. We truly enjoyed ourselves and we
hope to see you again somewhere soon.
Mick Luke,
Nottinghamshire Branch
25
POLICE WORLD
Vol 61 No. 1, 2016
Article