Page 5 - police world Edition 1 2013

Fred Boyd, National Treasurer, was honoured to be selected, along with
Vice President Mick Luke, as official observers at the 20th IPA World
Congress which took place in Israel during September, 2012. This
article is a precis of what transpired during the 13 day conference.
T his journey started quite some time
ago when Vice President (VP) Mike
Luke and I were chosen as the
official observers. I considered it a great
honour to be selected and indeed attend
along with other delegates from 2 Region,
who included: (VP) Mark Kernohan, David
Parkhill, Tommy Hutton, Terry Mashal and
their wives. We met, in Tel Aviv, with IPA
members from Section UK and other
Sections from as far a field as Australia,
Brazil and Japan.
The conference was officially opened by the
then International President Michael
Odysseos. A moment of silence followed in
memory of passed members.
After general business and some
housekeeping Michael Odysseos commented
on the past year. Reports followed from
members of the permanent executive bureau
(PEB) with the meeting finishing late evening.
The next morning started early with Mark
Kernohan speaking about the World Police
and Fire Games which is to take place in
Belfast in August, 2013. His report was well
received and the concensus for the event
was of extreme optimism (turn to page 12 for
an update on this event).
Dinner and entertainment later that evening
took the form of a buffet and an African
Circus which was very enjoyable.
The next morning commenced with
appointment of members who were tasked to
carry out the elections later that day -
Chaired by the President of Australia, Michele
Harris.
Several motions followed from various
countries including the Netherlands, Peru,
Russia, Slovenia and of course Section UK.
After further motions and debate the
elections took place and the results can be
seen in the announcements right.
With all the official business complete it was
time to relax a little. Saturday began with a
beautiful cruise on the Red Sea taking us to
the borders with Egypt Jordan and Israel. We
were all divided into four ships and were free
to explore. Later, some members chose to
cool down with a swim in the Red sea.
I booked myself onto the Friendship Week,
which followed, to explore this fabulous part
of the world a little more. It began with a very
pleasant drive through the desert to Masada
- the magnificent mountain top palace and
fortress of King Herod. The heat was intense
and large amounts of water were taken -
thankfully we had a cable car for
transportation. Following this brief excursion,
we arrived at the Merridan Hotel. Straight
after check in it was off to the Dead Sea - not
for a swim because it is near impossible - but
to float and for some of us to cover
themselves in the famously beneficial mud!
This was an experience in itself and truly
great fun for all who participated - even I
floated!
The next day we travelled to the Qumran
Caves and, with the assistance of our guide,
we learnt that this was the area where the
Essenes wrote the Dead Sea Scrolls - which
had been discovered in these caves in 1947.
Our guide also pointed out the river Jordan
border crossing which was allegedly the site
where the original Baptism took place.
Tuesday’s destination was the Golan Heights
- the location of the six day war with Syria in
1974. This was the highlight of the trip for
me. Further highlights included a cruise on
Lake Tiberias, and a tour of the city of Acre -
a place of much history and now a world
heritage site.
The most moving day of the entire trip
involved a visit to Yad Vashem - which is
situated on Memorial Hill. It is a Government
institute established for the purpose of
studying and commemorating the Holocaust.
This was a very informative tour given by a
very emotional guide which left everyone in a
contemplative mood.
Excursions continued with a guided tour of
the city of Jerusalem - which included a visit
to the 14 stations of Christ in the heart of the
old town of Jerusalem the Wailing Wall.
Saturday was officially the end of the
Friendship Week and saw most of the
participants leave for the airport. A few of us,
approximately 28, had arranged a private
tour to Bethlehem and with the
organisational skills of Graham, our friend
from Section Australia, we crossed into
Bethlehem. With limited time to spare we
visited the place of Christ’s birth and the site
where the manger was said to have been.
I would like to thank everyone who helped to
organise this World Congress - both in Israel
and in the UK. I most certainly must not
forget to thank everyone who travelled from
Northern Ireland who all helped make it a
truly memorable trip.
Fred Boyd, Treasurer.
A Trip to Jerusalem
A Message
from the
International President,
Pierre Martin
Moulin
It is an honour and a pleasure to
address you. I always want to use
a special title when I address
Section UK - the founding section
of our Association. This title commands respect.
Sixty-two years of existence and let's admit it,
what a good looking Section! It contrasts with
the ‘retired’ age of our association. If I had to
choose a trait to describe Section UK it would be
strength.
Your Section has not only given the IPA a solid
foundation on which it stands today, it has played
a key role throughout this journey,
knowing how to adapt to changes of generations
and support many Sections in the process of
foundation and affiliation. If one is entitled to
expect that a founder is a model, then we can
say that Section UK has been and still is
the model.
The management of the IPA at the international
level today needs the experience and support of
Section UK to review its function and structures,
and to help adapt them accordingly. I think we
should have the courage to make some major
changes to ensure a healthy growth.
Thank you for your commitment. All my best
wishes for prosperity in 2013. I would like to
introduce my team:
The 1st International Vice-President,
Gal Sharon from Israel. Chair of
International Social Commission (ISC)
The 2nd International Vice-President,
Werner Busch, from Germany. Chair of
International Commission for External
Relations (ERC)
The 3rd International Vice-President,
Kees Sal, from the Netherlands. Chair
of International Professional
Commission (IPC)
The International Secretary General
(ISG), Georgios Katsaropoulos, from
Greece. Chair of International Internal
Commission (IIC)
The Assistant International Secretary
General (AISG), Stephen Crockard, from
the UK. Chair of International Cultural
Commission (ICC)
The International Treasurer (IT),
Romain Miny, from Luxembourg.
The Assistant International Treasurer
(AIT), Wolfgang Gabrutsch, from
Austria.
The immediate Past International
President, Michael Odysseos, from
Cyprus, is a non-voting member of the
PEB as the Advisor.
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