PW_2_2022

Professional Development

Young Member Forum – A rebrand for Innovation Martin Turner , Section UK VP (Professional) The Young Member Forum (YMF) was formed several years ago to encourage newly joined IPA members to get involved in the Association. Under the stewardship of VP Martin Turner, David Hunter and Aidan Goundry, the YMF and its volunteer members has generated a multitude of ideas, concepts and projects to modernise and improve Section UK. From refreshing Police World and the Section UK shop, to new merchandise and social media channels – the YMF has a lot to be proud of. Several YMF members are now Branch and Region committee members, working hard as volunteers to steward our fine Association. A s we move into a new year it is only right that we take stock, and relaunch the YMF in a format that is even more Please keep an eye out for an advert seeking members and your ongoing support for the forum.

inclusive and representative of our membership. Conscious that the term “young” can imply an unintended age bias, Section UK is rebranding the forum. It will now be known as the Innovation Forum (IF). The Innovation Forum will soon be seeking new members to join its ranks, to expand and ensure members of the forum come from as wide a cross-section of our membership as possible. The forum will continue to meet, usually online, to generate ideas, projects and concepts to improve Section UK.

The IF will look to appoint a new chair after the 2022 NCM, and will remain within the Professional Portfolio under VP Martin Turner. Members will be sought from each region, and we are especially keen to ensure the entire policing family is represented in terms of role, diversity and outlook. So, if you have new ideas and concepts to take Section UK forward, please do get in touch once the advert is sent out.

A Hearing With The Prosecution Bill Petherick , Ayrshire Branch Take a bow 4 Region for organising one of the best presentations I have attended for some time. Their guest speaker was Mr Nazir Afzal, one time head of the Crown Prosecution Service in England and Wales.

H e was factual, humble and humorous , explaining the many serious and high profile events that he was involved in, through the tenures of three prime ministers. He was involved in writing many of the legal guidelines for so many criminal activities, and has worked with high profile government and International bodies. I do not know where he ever found the time to have a family life. What was also great to see was that it was one of the youngest members in the Region who invited him to speak. She first heard Nazir speak while she was at University, and invited him along. Well done young lady to you and the Region Chairman, it was a very interesting and enjoyable evening. I will say little more about it, but a story from one of Nazir’s own prosecutions threw a different light on travelling by train and smoking.

Nazir Afzal OBE, is a solicitor who spent most of his career in the CPS, rising to be Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England in 2011, a role he held until leaving the CPS in 2015. In 2016 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners, a post which comes with media restrictions; he resigned after the 2017 Manchester Arena bombing, so that he could comment freely on the attack. Since October 2017, he has been a member of the Independent Press Standards Organisation (IPSO) Complaints Committee.

POLICE WORLD Vol 67 No.2, 2022

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