Page 7 - police world Edition 1 2013

Article
7 Police World Vol 58 No.1 2013
A Privilege
in Poland
I admit to never having heard of Bydgoszcz
before my trip and it wasn’t until I heard
the airport announcement that I found out
that it was correctly pronounced ‘bid-gosh’. A
quick check of Wikipedia informed me that it’s
a town in the North of Poland on the Brda and
Vistula rivers. Historically it’s been part of
Prussia, the Duchy of Warsaw and then
Germany, before finally becoming part of
Poland in 1919. This is the beauty of being a
member of the IPA - it can take you to wonderful
places not normally on the tourists’ map.
The reason for my visit was to take part in the
‘Parade of the Nations’. This parade was to be
in uniform and start from the hotel and then
continue through the streets of the old town. I
was also to attend the gala at the opera house
in Bydgoszcz. As always my ‘bobbies helmet’
worked its magic and I found myself interviewed
by the local TV station and photographed
repeatedly with colleagues from across Europe.
The itinerary we were given on arrival simply
stated ‘Gala with invited guests to take place on
the final evening’. This description didn’t begin
to do justice to the three hour extravaganza
that took place. The gala featured the police
alpine band, a national pop group, multi-media
presentations on the history of the Polish IPA
and the presentation of national awards to
members from across Poland.
The event was rounded off with a banquet at
our hotel. One strange feature of the evening
was that the menu card appeared to show two
different meals, which left me and my IPA
friends from Gibraltar at a loss, given that we
didn’t begin eating until 9.30pm. All was
explained around midnight, when having
worked through a hearty four course meal the
second menu began to be served! I’m reliably
informed, by those with a stronger constitution
to mine, that goulash was still being served at
3.30am the following morning.
IPA representatives across Europe were treated
to a visit to a unique archaeological museum in
Biskupin and the medieval town of Torun, as
well as a walking tour of Bydgoszcz.
As a huge fan of the archaeology television
programme ‘Time Team’, I found the museum
in Biskupin wonderful. The museum is sited on
the largely intact remains of an iron age fort
built on a marshy peninsula in Lake Biskupin. It
was discovered just before the Second World
War and due to its remarkable degree of
preservation it’s been referred to as the Polish
Pompeii. A sudden rise in sea level caused the
fort to be deserted around 150AD and the
rising waters were also responsible for
preserving the timbers sunk into the lake bed.
Archaeologists have rebuilt two of the original
13 long houses each divided into 10 or so
dwellings - one extended family to each. The
ramparts and entrance gate have also been
rebuilt and the whole site recreates, in great
detail, the living conditions and daily lives of the
people who lived there.
Torun, on the other hand, is a UNESCO World
heritage site and is one of the seven wonders of
Poland. As well as a cathedral and gothic town
hall, it has its very own leaning tower, which
forms part of the remarkably intact medieval
walls that surround the town. Unfortunately our
time in Torun was all too short but there is so
much to see there that I’ll be heading back
before too long.
It was a pleasure and a privilege to take part in
a real celebration of the IPA with colleagues
who are immensely proud of their membership
and what they have achieved so far as a young
Section. The Polish IPA is incredibly active,
promoting professional exchanges with other
sections, including my own branch,
Cambridgeshire in 8 Region. I’d like to thank
Section UK for giving me the opportunity to take
part in this fantastic event and to wish Section
Poland all the best for the next 20 years.
Steve Bretherton, Cambridgeshire branch
When Steve Bretherton received his invitation to attend the
20th Anniversary of Section Poland, at Bydgoszcz, as the representative of Section UK, he was delighted
but admits having issues with pronunciation!
There was time for a group photo after the parade
The museum in Biskupin