Police World Edition 2 2014

IPANews

LessoNs LearNt at Gimborn IanMilliganandStevenHardy - both fromDevonandCornwall branch, attendedaGimborncourseon the PhenomenonofMissingPeople in ModernEuropeanSociety. This course sought toexamine the issues

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. (www.missingpeople.org.uk). 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

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

Inside the lecture theatre

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.”

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.

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: www.ipa-uk.org/Join-Us 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.

Inaddition, the knowledge obtained from the seminar,

was enhancedby the opportunity to interact

professionally and socially withpolice colleagues from other countries.”

* For full terms andconditions visit:www.ipa-uk.org/Gimborn-Fees-Prizes-Booking

International PoliceAssociation SectionUK For a full list of coursesand promotionaloffers visit: www.ipa-uk.org/Study

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POLICEWORLD Vol 59No. 2, 2014