PW_04_2017

IPA News

6 Region Dinner held at the Guards’ Museum, Wellington Barracks, London Bob McCormack . Steeped in military history, 6 Region was privileged to hold a dinner at Wellington Barracks. Our guests were greeted by two guardsmen in full uniform at the entrance to the museum. It was an honour to dine whilst surrounded by the extraordinary exhibits making up the rich history of the five Regiments of Guards: in order of seniority being the Grenadiers, Coldstream, Scots, Irish & Welsh. Memorabilia included uniforms, weapons, trophies of war, as well as medals and decorations awarded throughout their history: the museum counts some 30 Victoria Crosses (VC) alone, all proudly displayed in the cabinets alongside us. Each table was decorated with an amazing centrepiece of regimental silver, as well as some fine tableware. Even allowing for the restricted number of people that the museum could cater for, 6 Region was delighted to entertain friends from 3 Region in the form of former Chair, Chris Charlton, accompanied by his daughter Joanne, a serving Major in the Royal Engineers; a delegation from 9 Region led by its Chair, Sav Kyriakou MBE, himself an officer in HM Reserve Forces; 10 Region, of which more later; and 5 Region, in the person of our newly- elected Vice-President, Clive Wood, accompanied by his wife Helen. As to be expected, the cuisine was of a very high standard, with excellent service synonymous with great military tradition. The evening was enriched by a most entertaining explanation of the history of all five Regiments of Guards by Andrew Wallis, Curator of the museum, laced with interesting facts and anecdotes covering some 4 centuries of military history. A highlight of the evening saw Clive Wood present 10 Region member, Don Turner, his certificate marking 40 years continuous membership of the IPA. Ron, a former Guardsman himself, proudly wearing his medals, was delighted to receive this accolade. Vice President (responsible for the professional portfolio) Clive Wood said: - “This is the first iconic event for Region Six I have attended since being asked to act as NEC liaison to the region. Well, what a fantastic event. An amazing venue, excellent food, great company - and more of that in my separate news article- an extremely informative talk by the curator which really added to the evening. The opportunity to dine amongst so many amazing exhibits of the Five Guards’ Regiments made this a truly special evening. Well done Region Six and particularly well done Bob McCormack”

Meeting the new Gwent Chief Denis Hunt Secretary No 4 (Wales) Region Following the appointment of Mr Julian Williams as the new Chief Constable of Gwent Police, a letter of congratulations from Wales resulted in an invitation to meet Mr Williams. On 6th September, Ken Davies (Region Chair), myself (Region Secretary) and Jitka Tomkova-Griffith (Treasurer) met the Chief at his offices, where we could not have received a more warm and enthusiastic welcome. For over an hour we outlined the background of the IPA, with strong emphasis on the Professional Development opportunities, especially for his serving officers and staff. In an attempt to allay fears of costs to any of his budgets, we outlined the various funding opportunities, including Gimborn fees, Scholarships, Lincoln Awards, plus local funding from both Wales Region and Branches. Mr Williams was extremely enthusiastic towards the possibilities of the ILDEP scheme as regards any officers wishing to consider an exchange. As regards local Force support for both funding and time off to attend seminars, this was again met very positively and with

the total understanding as to how it would benefit both the Police Force and the individual. He has also offered access to the Force internal information system to broadcast IPA bulletins, plus the opportunity to meet with the new ‘Friendship’ groups that are being set up in Gwent Police in an effort to reinvigorate the old style social bonding that once existed in Departments and with members of the shifts. Mr Williams accepted our invitation to become Joint Patron to the South Wales Branch.

POLICE WORLD Vol 62 No. 4, 2017

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