police world Edition 1 2013

Article

A Privilege in Poland

The museum in Biskupin

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!

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.

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

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

There was time for a group photo after the parade

Police World Vol 58 No.1 2013

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