police world Edition 1 2013

A Message from the International President, Pierre Martin Moulin

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 and large amounts of water were taken - thankfully we had a cable car for A Trip to Jerusalem

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:

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

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

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.

truly memorable trip. Fred Boyd , Treasurer.

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