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50 Years of Friendship and a Misplaced Hat Iain Wylie , Northern Ireland (North West Branch) Thirty years ago, I felt very proud to receive my 20 year membership certificate. But I felt even better, at the brave old age of 79 years, to receive a 50 year certificate.

Iain Wylie recieves his 50 year certificate

I t seems a very long time ago since I was a police officer, and just before retiring I visited the famous Black Museum at New Scotland Yard. At the museum, I met an officer from New York, and enjoyed a long discussion about the differences of policing in the USA and UK. He gave me a shoulder patch from NYPD, and seemed quite upset when I asked him what it was. I knew that all the UK’s police forces had different cap badges and helmet plates, but I knew nothing of forces outside the UK. That chance meeting began

I met my best friend Tony Owens, (who lives in Denver, Colorado) through the IPA over 40 years ago. Tony started his police career in Detroit, then moved to South Dakota, where he became Assistant Attorney General. Many years ago, he had his gold badge mounted on a plaque, which now sits proudly within my collection. Tony and his wife Jamie visited me while I was living in Wiltshire, and have since visited me here in Coleraine.

Worried that I might be in trouble, I telephoned a Superintendent at Coleraine station, who agreed to “sort” any enquiries for me. I am not as well travelled as I would like to be, but the IPA has given me friends throughout Europe, Hong Kong, Australia and USA. In 2013 I had the immense privilege of welcoming Gal Sharon to my home, and showing her my collection room. Gal was the first International Vice President of Section Israel, and a really lovely lady.

I did manage to visit Amsterdam several years ago. My friend Pete Valkenburg, took me on an exploration trip of the city in a marked police car. His kindness turned exciting when he got a radio call about a man on a bicycle snatching a purse. A guy matching the description cycled past us, and Pete gave chase. He jumped out of the car while it was still moving, and I had to pull on the handbrake rather quickly and follow him. I helped Pete restrain the crook until a backup crew arrived. Within seconds my arms were forced up at the back, handcuffs applied, and I was thrown against the wall next to the crook. Thankfully, Pete soon put them straight, which was lucky as I could not speak any Dutch, except to say “please” and “thank you,” neither of which seemed appropriate at the time. I also travelled to Hong Kong in 2018, after completing my IPA Travel Form. I was made very welcome, and extremely well looked after by Rock Kuet (IPA Coordination Officer) and Alan Kwok-lun, my friend of many years. In a true display of the IPA spirit, I was given a tour of the very smart and modern Hong Kong Police HQ. We also took a ferry trip, where the size of the skyscrapers seemed very impressive, since we have very few of them in Northern Ireland.

It was always my ambition to visit Gimborn Castle, not so much for a course, although that would have been great, but to see the scenery in that area. Sadly, I have not been able to make that journey. Throughout these 50 years, I have made many friends through the IPA, and owe a great deal to our founder and his Motto “Service through Friendship.” I Over the years, I have been Branch Secretary of Thames Valley North (Oxfordshire), Wiltshire and North West Branch here in Northern Ireland. My ambition for this year is to visit IPA HQ in Nottingham, and I hope I can do that. I am very proud and privileged to have been a member of the IPA, and especially to have received my 50 year certificate, which will be displayed in my collection room together with my 20, 30 and 40 year certificates. Any member who visits Northern Ireland is very welcome to call here, where the “kettle is always on” and to look at my collection room. Where I live is 60 miles north west of Belfast, and just 15 minutes’ drive from the famous Antrim Coast, an area of outstanding natural scenic beauty, and the location of the famous Giant’s Causeway.

my police collection, which is now displayed in one of our bedrooms. The collection has since grown considerably from that single NYPD shoulder patch. I have patches, badges, helmet plates, caps and helmets from all around the world. In addition to the uniform items, I also collected a 1/43 scale limited edition of 25 model police vehicles and figurines. When the World Police and Fire Games were held in Northern Ireland some years ago, a Spanish officer presented one of the Belfast officers with a complete uniform, including the unusual cap they wear in Madrid. My PSNI colleague was very grateful for the gift, but he was not a collector of police memorabilia. Someone said to him, “get it up to Wylie in Coleraine, he has a large collection”. I was really “chuffed,” and managed to acquire a mannequin to display the uniform in my collection. I did learn from the internet, that I had dressed the mannequin with his tricorn hat back to front, which was very quickly corrected. I did once have a scare, when a DC from Belfast visited on house to house enquiries. Of course, I invited him in for a cup of tea and showed him my collection. The DC asked some very searching questions, about how I acquired the pair of male and female Royal Ulster Constabulary uniforms in my collection.

POLICE WORLD Vol 67 No.1, 2022

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