PW_3_2019

Vol 64 No.3 2019

The magazine of the International Police Association, Section UK www.ipa-uk.org

Birmingham, West Midlands Friendship Weekend See Page 24

Lottery Winners See Page 27

InternationalPoliceAssociation SectionUK

EntryForm OverLeaf

Las Vegas Shootings – A first-hand experience In October 2019 the IPA Young Members Forum and York Branch will be hosting Detective Ken Mead from the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, Southern Nevada Counter Terrorism Centre. Detective Mead will kindly deliver a CPD presentation on the official multiagency debrief & learning the lesson report, into the 2017 mass shooting incident in Las Vegas, where 58 people were killed by an active shooter. Detective Mead is a decorated serving officer who was a first responder to the scene with his Joint Terrorism Task Force and also worked on the post incident investigation team. He was subsequently awarded a Commendation Medal for his work on the case; his credibility speaks for itself. The presentation will cover: Special Events in Las Vegas, Route 91 Harvest Music Festival, Shots Fired, Communications, Police & Fire Response, Command & Control, Intelligence gathering, Steven Paddock & Marliou Danley, Crime Scenes, Investigative findings, Aftermath, Media and Lessons to be Learned. The venue will be confirmed to members requesting it, due to venue security, but it is in the North

Yorkshire Police area. Due to the venue size, spaces are limited to a first come first served basis and successful allocation will be notified to attendees ASAP. The same presentation will be repeated during both sessions on: • Tuesday 15th October 2019 13:00hrs – 16:00hrs • Wednesday 16th October 2019 09:30hrs – 12:30hrs There is no charge to IPA members. To request attendance at this event please email David Hunter at: ipayorkhunters@gmail.com

IPA Section UK Clothing Range Available to Order Section UK have created their own clothing store, currently selling polo shirts, hoodies and jackets. All products are sold with the IPA Section UK logo and can also be personalised. The current product range can be viewed below.

Polo Shirt £16 + P&P

Hoodie £26 + P&P

Jacket £35 + P&P

Ladies Polo Shirt £16 + P&P

Sweater (ladies or men’s) £25 + P&P

Colour Variations Available

For detailed product descriptions visit the website or contact IPA HQ - Section UK by phone 0115 9813638 For overseas orders contact Richard Mattinson direct at ‘Stitch & Print’ on 00 44 16973 43546 or office@stitchandprint.co.uk

Mail Order: To order a polo shirt, hoodie, jacket or jumper visit: http://ipauk.stitchandprintstore.co.uk/ For all other items visit: www.ipa-uk.org/Shop . Items can be ordered by email, telephone or in writing to the International Police Association, IPA HQ - Section UK, 1 Fox Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, NG2 6AJ with a cheque made payable to ‘IPA’. Payment can also be made via a PAYPAL account.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 63 No.3, 2019

Contents Police World The magazine of the International Police Association, Section UK

Vol 64 No.3 2019

Keeping You Informed 4-5 Keeping You Informed Clive Wood, President of Section UK Professional Development 6–7 National Council Meeting Report

Editorial Neil Hallam e-mail: mail@neilhallam.com Deadline for article submission for Vol. 64 Edition 3, 2019 is 16 September, 2019 . Dispatched November 2019.

Steve Bretherton, Secretary General, Section UK

Advertising Michele Rai tel: (+44) 115 981 3638 e-mail: michele.rai@ipa-uk.org

8 Close Protection

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Robert Stenhouse, Defensive Tactics Group

9 Avoiding Disaster

Tom Chisholm, Birmingham and West Midlands Branch

16–17 COPS 2019: Uddevalla, Sweden

General enquiries IPA HQ - Section UK, 1 Fox Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham. NG2 6AJ tel: (+44) 0115 981 3638 e-mail: mail@ipa-uk.org Printed by Bishops Printers, Walton Road, Portsmouth,

Chris Duncombe - BTP Branch and Simon Hensley - West Midlands Branch

Cultural Corner 13 Why we write Roy Harvey Feature Articles 10 Lexington’s Finest

Section UK Writers SIG & Writers Forum AGM 2019

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Hampshire PO6 1TR Graphic Design by BDS 21 Ltd Membership

Rob Weaver, Gloucestershire Branch Meeting the Mounties Dave and Ann Wilkins 11 Friendship across the Channel Mike Chappell, Cornwall Branch 12 Gimborn: a translating experience Neil Hallam, Editor 14 Australia Through a Fly Net Dave Sismey, Derbyshire Branch 15 Dining with – Only Fools & Horses Martin WRAY - 6 region 18 A flying visit to Romania Aidan Goundry, West Mercia 24–25 Birmingham, West Midlands Friendship Weekend Andy Gregory, Birmingham, West Midlands Branch 26 Arthur Troop House Staff Turn Detective Jeremy Meppen-Walter, South Yorkshire Branch IPA Motor Cycle Group - Isle of Wight Weekend Jacqui Buxton, Nottinghamshire Branch 28 The life and times of Lilian Mary Elizabeth Wyles of the Metropolitan Police Beverley Edwards, Thames Valley Branch Sports Page 29 National Golf at Belton Woods Stanley Hanna Golf Competition Yvonne McGregor, Section UK VP 19-22 News 27 Competitions WIN one of these books by Dick Kirby and Parnell Hall 30 Classifieds 31 Diary

A guide to Region numbers 1 - Scotland Region 2 - Northern Ireland Region 3 - North of England including Isle of Man Region 4 - Wales Region 5 - Midlands Region 6 - Central and West London Region 7 - South & Southwest including the Channel Islands Region 8 - East Anglia Region 9 - Northern Home Counties and North and Northwest London Region 10 - Essex and East London Region 11 - Southern Home Counties and South London Region In Section UK, the membership comprises serving and retired Police Officers, Special Constables and members of Police Staff employed by a Chief Constable or other appropriately designated Chief Officer of the Police Service. We also now offer associate membership. The Section has a unique mixture of police personnel who are still serving, retired, or in some instances, who have voluntarily resigned from the police service. For details of who can join Section UK, go to www.ipa-uk.org/Join-Us Joining the IPA costs just £35 enrolment fee and annual renewal is £32. Visit the website to learn about our promotional offers. To apply either visit www.ipa-uk.org or request an application form from the general enquiries team.

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Cover Photo “ Mine’s bigger than yours.” Harvey Whittam comparing his kit with Andy Gregory’s lenses - Birmingham Friendship Weekend Next deadline 16 October 2019 for publication November 2019

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ISSN No: 0032-261X

Keeping you informed

Keeping you informed So, I said last time I would let you know how I got on in South Africa and Mauritius. Helen and I flew to Durban and arrived during some dreadful weather, which sadly resulted in some loss of life in the area. We were confined to barracks - well, the Hilton Hotel for 24 hours, which was not too much of a chore.

A ltogether we had five days in Durban before getting on a cruise ship, so once the weather improved we were able to take in the Zulu experience and a game drive. South Africa is a beautiful country and it was a shame we did not see more of it. We were met by Section South Africa Secretary General, Tess, who explained some of the issues around personal safety and her city. She met us one evening for dinner and we exchanged pennants. She was even kind enough to transport us from our hotel to the cruise ship, perhaps to make sure we left. Tess also told us about the IPA house in Durban, which would be available to us should we go again. We also met up with IPA friends in Mauritius. Ishak, a member of the Section Executive, and his wife very kindly met us on a bank holiday, and suggested the best seafood restaurant on the island for lunch. Some of you will have seen the picture in my monthly blog. Ishak also very kindly offered to home host Helen and I if we were over that way again. I’m sure that would be lovely, as there were some fabulous beaches. So that reminds me once again to suggest the use of the travel forms, which our helpful and friendly staff at Fox Road will process for you. Remember to get them done in plenty of time before you travel. You might just want the reassurance of knowing somebody you could contact if you had an issue whilst abroad. Or alternatively, if you want to make more of it, I have always been very well met and looked after. Since my last article, Helen and I have also visited Portugal and Ireland on IPA business, both of which have a selection of IPA houses available. We stayed in both and they are an inexpensive way of travelling. Whilst in Lisbon we met members from many other Sections. In Ireland it was great to see Ken and Denis from Region 4 signing off the twinning arrangements between Wales and Ireland. What great friendship. I know I often talk about twinning but it is so nice to see it in action. My Branch look forward to our Twinning Branch from Krefeld, in Germany, coming over this summer. The Section also received an invitation from Section Israel to attend their National Council Meeting in Tel Aviv. We were hosted entirely by Section Israel with great friendship and hospitality. I was able to meet representatives from 17 other Sections, which was extremely useful as this is an election year at World Congress. Fortunately there was also time for some sightseeing in the Holy Land including: Jerusalem Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee.

Whilst I was away with Helen on the cruise, I was able to continue my IPA duties through satellite technology, including a two hour Zoom meeting with the executive. Technology really is a wonderful thing in that sense, although sometimes it would be nice to be uncontactable. Anyway, the Zoom video conferencing technology is rolling out for all members to use. My own Region, 5, as part of its planning for this year’s National Council Meeting, have held meetings by Zoom, saving time and expense. If you think you could use it, speak to Vice President Sean Hannigan who will be only too happy to explain. I know VP Steve Bretherton has written to all regions asking for your thoughts about Fox Road, the building we share with the International Administration Centre. Thank you to all of you that responded. Some good news again around sponsorship. You will recall that I asked last time if anyone could identify sponsors for the Young Police Officers Seminar in Scotland, which VP Yvonne McGregor is putting together. After publication of the last Police World we have another significant sponsor to support the event, which is excellent news.

Seafood lunch in Mauritius

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.2, 2019

Keeping you informed

Game drive, Durban

Quite a short update this time for me as we need to keep space available for the National Council Meeting. We are also in an election year and I thank and wish well to all candidates who put themselves forward to help maintain and advance the Association. As I write this it is only a few days away, and I’m sure it will be a tremendous success. Thank you to all of the members of the organising committee, who put in a lot of work. As always, thank you for supporting the Association in whatever way you do and if you have any thoughts or suggestions to improve things then drop me a line.

Yours in friendship, Clive Wood President Section UK

Israel with Gal Sharon

Tess, Secretary General IPA South Africa

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.2, 2019

Professional Development

National Council Meeting 2019 Steve Bretherton , Secretary General, Section UK The National Council Meeting (NCM) provides an opportunity for members from across Section UK to gather and debate proposed rule changes, elect members to the National Executive, and for the President to recognise members and groups who have given exceptional service to the IPA. This year’s venue, set in acres of parkland, was Coombe Abbey, near Coventry.

Gurmit Kaur 5 Region Chair welcomes guests to the weekend

Hosts 5 Region ready and awaiting the start of the National Council Meeting

Motions This year we had four main motions to debate. The first two of these concerned the enrolment and renewal fees. Those of you with good memories will remember that membership fees were last increased in 2011. Since then inflation has gradually eroded the value of the enrolment and renewal fees while the cost of wages, rates, heating and lighting and so on have all increased. Where possible the NEC have made savings, for example by cutting back staff working hours at Fox Road and by using video conferencing to reduce travel costs. For the price of a Costa coffee per month the renewal fee represents great value for money but the time has come for us to revise the membership fees. Council agreed to the membership fee changes so, from January 2020, the renewal fee will be £32 (an increase of £4) while the enrolment fee goes up to £40 this October. The other two motions debated by council were both carried. Rule 11 amended the requirement for officers and staff joining the IPA after leaving the police to show that they served for five years. This has now been reduced to three years. A further motion passed by council saw the British South Africa Police (BSAP) become the second Associate Member Group whose members are now automatically entitled to join the IPA. Honorary Life Membership was granted to Lawrence Wright (Region 8), Michele Rai (Region 5), Max Fordyce (Region 1) and Pete Connolly (Region 2), who stepped down from the post of Secretary General after his four-year term in office.

T his year was an election year and the posts of: Secretary General, Vice-President Professional, Vice-President Social and Vice- President Cultural were all being contested. • Congratulations to Yvonne McGregor and Sean Hannnigan who were re-elected to the posts of VP Social and VP Cultural. • Steve Bretherton was uncontested in his bid to be the new Secretary General. • This left the post of VP Professional vacant. Martin Turner from 9 Region was the successful candidate and he joins the new NEC line up.

President Clive Wood congratulates the Newly elected Secretary General Steve Bretherton

President section UK Clive Wood exchanges gifts with Martin Hoffman president section Austria

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Professional Development

David accepting Judith Smith’s Presidential Award

Norman Banfield Presidential award accepted by 5 Region Chair Gurmit Kaur

This year the Millennium Shield was awarded to the volunteers at the International Youth Gathering for the time, effort and commitment they gave hosting 45 young people from IPA families at Walesby, Notts in August last year.

Denis accepting Rob Stenhouse’s Presidential award

Tom accepting David Stamp’s presidential award

Presidential Awards President Clive Wood gave Presidential Awards to David Stamp, Sav Kyriakou, Robert Stenhouse and Judith Smith. Anthony Osborn and Kevan Barrett, both from Region 6, were awarded 50 and 60 year membership certificates respectively.

President Clive Wood thanks the 5 Region NCM organising committee

Medieval banquet After a rather soggy weekend weather-wise, the sun came out on Saturday evening for the medieval banquet. This rounded off a successful NCM, which epitomised our ethos of ‘Service through Friendship’. The NEC thanks the organising committee from Region 5 for their hard work to make the weekend such a success. Ordinarily, the organising committee would now be resting and basking in the glow of a job well done. However, there’s no respite for this team as Region 5 will again host the NCM during our 70th anniversary year in Lincoln between 5th and 7th June 2020.

60 and 50 year award recipients, Kevan Barrett (L) & Anthony Osborn (R)

King Clive opens the Medieval Banquet

One of the most popular awards of the evening went to Michele Rai from IPA HQ, who becomes our first individual Associate Member. Moreover, it gave President Clive Wood immense pleasure to award Michele Honorary Life Membership.

King Clive and the Chief Constable, Martin Jelly QPM, next to him enjoying the evening

NCM attendees enjoying the Medieval Banquet Entertainment

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All images by Andy Gregory Photography

Professional Developmentv

Close Protection Robert Stenhouse , Defensive Tactics Group The Defensive Tactics Group’s (DTG) first offering of the year was our Close Protection Operatives (CPO) course, run in Chester. T he course was aimed both at providing current operatives with competency evidence, and to provide others with a unique insight into the role. This type of training is also suited to anyone interested in personal self-defence. It was a re-run of last year’s successful course. We started out with four participants on the first day, as this was a planning and reconnaissance day. I know this does not sound too exciting, but it was essential, as Close Protection involves meticulous planning. If you end up having to fight to save your principal, then you have already failed. For day two, our group had grown to nine. Some were new to the DTG and there were some old faces. It was a packed day, with no time to hang around. We started with some convoy driving to our first venue at the University of Chester. After a very brief discussion about surveillance and anti-surveillance from our expert, Sean Hannigan, we went straight into two hours of foot drills. Sean set the bar very high, with some brilliant exercises, as we practiced walking around the town. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the experience and were clamouring for more. Then we changed tack and carried out protection foot drills, led by myself and Tim Taylor. Everyone got a go as a protector and a VIP. I made it much

more interesting by having two students attached constantly to the VIP. We enjoyed a spot of lunch in a local pub, before continuing our foot drills back towards the University. Then came time for the physical intervention elements of the course. Tim Taylor put us all through some very useful, but also quite painful protection techniques. The photos describe them better than I can explain. By then it was 4pm and we still had two hours to go. We took the cars onto a disused area of an industrial park so Tim and I could carry out vehicle drills and anti-ambush techniques. Again, this was well received by the team. Sunday morning brought an early start to day three, when Sean Hannigan and Tim Taylor taught us about explosive vehicle search. This took me back to the 1980’s when I had to check my own car for IRA bombs. The best way to learn is to actually do it, so Tim rigged up my car so everyone could search it. Tim and Sean, I have decided, are a devious pair of fellows.

No sooner had we finished the search, than it was time to brief for the day’s exercise. This practical session involved picking up a principal and her friend, then providing them with a protection detail as they went around Chester. I used my daughter Lucy and my neighbour Sonja as the VIPs. Other students carried out attacks and generally harassed the protection team on their walkabouts. It all went swimmingly well until I told Lucy to try her best to lose them if she could, and to be as awkward as possible. Lucy was brilliant and mayhem ensued. To be fair to the team, they did an excellent job. I couldn’t believe that most of them had never been Close Protection Officers before, as in just two days they were doing a very professional job. One of the students confessed that his heart was beating and his hands were shaking with adrenalin. Sean said, “I’m not sure at what point this ceased to be an exercise and became real,” which was music to my ears. We had a brilliant weekend’s training and all learned a lot. Best of all, we made new friends and recruited two more members to the IPA.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.3, 2019

Professional Developmentv

Avoiding Disaster Tom Chisholm , Chair of Birmingham and West Midlands Branch Tom Chisholm tells us about the Disaster and Crisis Management Seminar held at Gimborn Castle.

T his was my fifth seminar at Gimborn . I always enjoy visiting the sleepy hamlet of Gimborn. The Duke, who owns the castle, still lives on the premises and can often be seen around the grounds. This seminar was particularly relevant to my role as a Senior Identification Manager (SIM) for Disaster Victim Identification (DVI), so I was keen to learn from the experiences of international colleagues. I hoped to identify opportunities to improve our own response to mass fatality incidents. The seminar covered a broad spectrum of issues, ranging from the initial Police response to mass fatalities, DVI and serious RTC management. As well as the practicalities, the speakers also covered the human elements of mass disasters, with a focus on communication and human behaviour in crisis. The Seminar was chaired by Yvonne Taylor, a DVI officer from North Yorkshire, and Michael Walter, a senior manager from Stuttgart Police. The seminar was attended by colleagues from UK, Germany, Denmark, South Africa, Macedonia and Pakistan. Yvonne Taylor opened the seminar, with an overview of the DVI process, explaining when and where the process can be used and the benefits of applying a DVI approach to body recovery. Yvonne provided some examples of her own experiences in DVI and was very knowledgeable on the subject. On Tuesday morning it was the turn of Yvonne’s husband, Dave Taylor, a Senior Forensic Collision Investigator from North Yorkshire. Dave provided an input on the management of fatal traffic collisions and forensic considerations. He used several interesting case studies, explaining how it is possible to reconstruct and establish the cause of fatal collisions, even after fire damage has reduced forensic opportunities. Marc Kaufold, an Information Specialist from the University of Seigen, spoke about the impact of social media in mass disasters. Marc has conducted extensive research into using social media, and gave insight into the value of developing a social media strategy in the early stages of a disaster. On Wednesday, the group visited Cologne Police Headquarters, where we received input from Chief Inspector Ute Dommermuth, who spoke about extreme events, including the Gladbeck hostage crisis in 1988 and the 2015/16 New Year’s Eve mass sexual assaults. Both subjects were alarming and harrowing for their own reasons, and provided some real food for thought on how we would react in the UK to similar situations.

Ute was followed by Kyle Hardcastle, a Detective from the Metropolitan Police. Kyle and his team are leading the way in virtual reality training for Police, and he demonstrated the advantages of creating virtual reality worlds to allow training in a safe environment. On Thursday, we had a very moving talk from Commissioner Jean-Paul Devos, the officer in charge during the 2016 suicide bombings at Brussels Airport. Jean Paul described how he was drinking coffee in his office when the first blast hit, and how he ran towards the terminal as the second blast hit. He described the carnage as he and his team tried to save injured commuters, amongst collapsing ceilings and fire. He described the quick actions of a colleague who saw there was a third (as yet) unexploded bomb in the terminal, saving many more lives. Sadly, one of Jean Paul’s officers was seriously injured during the attack, as he bravely ran towards the first blast and into the path of the second. It was clear that the incident had a profound effect on everyone involved, and Jean Paul spoke of his pride in his team and the impact the incident had for many years after. Dr Katja Schulze, from the Freie University of Berlin, gave an interesting talk on human behaviour during mass crisis and disasters, and gave several examples where overcrowding at major events led to panic and fatalities. Michael Walter took the subject of human behaviour and safety at events further, by providing an input on planning considerations and safety at major events, rounding off the week nicely. I found the seminar both informative and thought provoking. I returned to my day job with several new ideas and many more friends from across the world. I would thoroughly recommend the IPA to any serving or retired Police Officer and Police Staff. The seminars at Gimborn are excellent and the facilities are world class.

At Koln HQ

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Article

Lexington’s Finest Rob Weaver , Gloucestershire Branch On a visit to Kentucky, Rob Weaver experienced a very different style of policing to his Royal Household Protection duties. D uring a visit to Lexington, in Kentucky , USA, I was lucky enough to spend a shift out on patrol. At the 7 AM Parade, I was

I was treated to lunch at Double H BBQ, where I chose a succulent and tender brisket sandwich with sweet potato fries. The meat was so delicious you could literally taste the smoke in every bite. I highly recommend trying some BBQ if you ever find yourself in that part of the world. A few more calls about domestic assault and someone with mental health issues walking in traffic brought us to 4 pm and time to book off. I have been a response officer in England for 10 years, so I don’t know why it surprised me that policing is almost exactly the same across the pond. The differences lie in the investment they make in uniform, kit, firearms and vehicles. I was pleased to see that morale in the Lexington Force was generally very high. Officers did not appear overstretched; they enjoy going to work and are trusted in their decision making. I am extremely grateful to Lexington Police Department for allowing me out on a ride along, and also the IPA for being so efficient about progressing my travel request.

I was impressed by the in-car laptop computer which mimics everything on a desktop, making everything seem easy; from writing statements and creating crime reports, to running checks on vehicles, people and property. Between the front and rear seats is a Perspex screen protecting officers from anyone sitting on the wipe-clean rear seating. This makes the transport of less- desirable prisoners a lot safer, and also much easier to keep the car hygienic. The Interceptor models are large, powerful cars with plenty of room inside, making them comfortable to patrol in all day. They are definitely fit for purpose. Next, we were dispatched to a call about an intoxicated woman causing problems in a sandwich shop. There were around 30 patrol officers on duty that morning, so there was always plenty of backup, which, in a State where a resident can carry a concealed firearm, was nice to know. The woman was arrested for public intoxication and taken to the local jail, which after a tour, I was extremely glad to leave and see natural light again. These American jails should fill anyone with dread about being locked up.

met by a steady influx of Officers who arrived fully kitted, in their department-issued marked Interceptor cars. They take their marked cars home and can drive them off duty. Apparently, this decision was welcomed by the Officers and community alike, as it cuts down personal mileage expenses, as well as the community seeing more cops driving around town. After briefing, I was introduced to Ryan, from West Division, and our first call of the day turned out to be a bit of a recurrence throughout the morning; an alarm sounding at a business premises. These all ended up being either set off in error by staff, or faults with the line. We stopped for breakfast at a fried chicken place, where, in Kentucky, eating deep-fried chicken sandwiched between American biscuits and washed down with iced tea seemed the most normal thing in the world. After breakfast, Ryan showed me the kit he carried in his car. Along with the usual road signs, cones, police tape, first aid kit etc, is a personal issued carbine and ballistic body armour.

Meeting the Mounties Dave and Ann Wilkins Top of the wish list for our holiday in Canada was to meet the Mounties. We contacted the IPA for assistance and, in no time at all, we received three replies and spent two instructive and enjoyable days with Karen Frost, Jan Tikkerts and Mike Lui. A fter riding the Skytrain from Vancouver to Royal Oak, Burnaby , we were met by Karen, who took us to a lunch

We had each been given a raffle ticket on entry and this was drawn after our meal. Ann won a bottle of wine, while I won a framed $50 note labelled “Break glass in emergency”. This had been donated by Ron Amiel, a retired policeman, who was delighted that his gift was going to England. It now hangs on our sitting room wall, where it will hopefully be a talking point for some time to come. After lunch, Karen drove us back to Vancouver for a Grand Tour of the city. We visited the waterfront, where the Olympic Flame resides, then onto Stanley Park. This was surprisingly big and was dressed in spring flowers. The trees were also quite magnificent. That evening, we stopped at a waterfront restaurant and met Jan Fikkert, another retired policeman, for a pleasant and chatty meal. Karen finally returned us to our hotel, after a very interesting day.

The next day we again caught the Skytrain, this time to King George station in Surrey, a distance of about 40 miles. We were met by Mike Liu, a serving Mountie Officer. He drove us to the British Columbia Mountie headquarters, which is the largest detachment in Canada and the headquarters for the Province. As it was Good Friday, there were very few people about, so we could dally over the exhibits on display. There was a display of uniforms through the years, a roll of honour and several cases of memorabilia. We saw the control room, their working offices and met a Mountie in his working kit. He had to carry a surprising amount of kit, which must have weighed a fair bit. I was even allowed to check out a patrol car. We had a fantastic day, with a very friendly guide. We are most grateful to Karen, Mike and Jan, for making our stay in Vancouver so special.

party with about 200 first responders from all the emergency and police divisions. We were welcomed by Sergeant Brian Honeybourn and sat with Mike Toddington, his wife Janet, and two of their friends. Mike originally came from Norfolk, before emigrating to Canada. We enjoyed a good gossip and were really made to feel at home, as quite a few others were also of British origin.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.3, 2019

Plage de L’Ecluse, Dinard

Article

Friendship across the Channel Mike Chappell , Cornwall Branch There have long been close ties between Brittany in the northwest of France and Cornwall. Both are Celtic regions, with shared history, culture, Brythonic language and historic trading relationships. People have travelled freely from one to the other for well over a thousand years, living and working in both areas. M any place names are common to each and there is barely a town or village in Cornwall which is not twinned with one in Brittany. Newquay is one such town, which is twinned with Dinard in Brittany. Both are seaside towns, where the seasonal populations

The French officers were very interested in the equipment and took a sample back to France to consider. A visit to the Force Control Room concluded a busy day. Before returning home via the Plymouth based Brittany ferry across ‘La Manche’, a visit to Truro Crown Court allowed the French Officers to see an ongoing robbery trial and to meet our Resident Judge, His Honour Judge Simon Carr. Any spare time in the programme was filled with meals and other social events. The visit was a huge success and it was inspiring to see serving and retired police officers come together as members of the police family, to give our visitors such a varied programme of activities. Assistant Chief of Police Municiple de Dinard, Alan Alstres, has even closer ties to Newquay. His partner is from Newquay and a former Special Constable, whom he met as part of this annual exchange some years ago. Alan said of the visit, “We thank everyone who has worked hard to make this a great visit. We all face the same problems in our work and although there are many differences in our judicial systems, the tasks are identical. There are strong connections between us and may these long continue.” Newquay and Dinard: Newquay has a resident population of around 30,000 including outlying areas, and Dinard has a resident population of 11,000 swelling to over 40,000 in the summer. The towns have been twinned since 1986. Both sea side resorts have their resident populations massively increased during the tourist seasons. Dinard is home to an international film festival and is often referred to as the ‘Cannes of the North,’ with its own yachting club, expensive hotels and casino. It is popular with celebrities and film stars, including: Joan Collins, Winston Churchill, T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia), Picasso and Debussy, who have all had some connection with the town. Newquay’s summer population swells to 100,000 and has been a tourist destination for more than a century, principally on account of its coastline and sandy beaches. It is home to the massive ‘Boardmasters’ festival amongst many others. Considered the surfing capital of Britain, Newquay also has its fair share of celebrity connections, including Sir William Golding, author of Lord of the Flies who was born there.

increase enormously. Dinard hosts an international film festival and Newquay has been the setting for a surprising number of film and TV productions. Similar ties exist between the police services as well, and May 2019 saw three officers from Police Municipale de Dinard spend time in Newquay, with the Cornish Police. What can only be described as an action packed programme of events was drawn up for our three guests by Superintendent Ian Drummond-Smith, Police Commander for East Cornwall, who is also a member of the Cornwall IPA Branch. Dinard Officers Alan Alstres, David Hamoniaux and Jacky Ruault, began their visit with a briefing and tour of Cornwall Police Headquarters in Bodmin (twinned with Le Relecq-Kerhuon in Brittany), and the following day joined front line officers in Newquay for patrol duties in town. They witnessed arrests for criminal damage and drunkenness, together with subsequent custody procedures. A break from police duties on the Sunday allowed our guests to be taken to Geevor Mine in Pendeen, in the far west of Cornwall. Here they were joined by serving and retired police officers from Cornwall Branch for a guided tour of the Tin Mine Heritage Centre, which included a trip underground and a pasty lunch. Colin Gameson, our Branch Chair, presented Cornwall IPA Badges, IPA Challenge Coins and miniature miners’ hard hats to our visitors.

Time for a selfie whilst patrolling the streets of Newquay with PC Lewis OMahoney and Sgt Steve Applewhite

A visit to Geevor Mine

The guests ready to go down under

Monday was a multi-agency day for our visitors, as they visited the

Newquay lifeboat, and nearby RAF St. Mawgan, to learn about the work of the HMCG helicopter air sea rescue service and the Cornwall air ambulance. The following day, Alan, David and Jacky visited Devon & Cornwall Police Headquarters in Exeter, where they met the Police and Crime Commissioner, Alison Hernandez, and took in the firearms training facility and range. All officers in Dinard are routinely armed and also equipped with stab vests and CS spray, but tasers have not yet been introduced. The guests learnt about the Spit & Bite Guards,recently introduced by Devon & Cornwall Police, to safely cover the faces of prisoners who spit or bite at officers. In the first four months of 2019 alone, 57 officers and staff in the two counties were spat at.

The three Dinard Police Officers, Alan, David and Jacky, stop off for refreshments with PC Sheri Williams overlooking Newquays Fistral Beach

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Article

Gimborn: a translating experience Neil Hallam , Editor

My second experience of lecturing at Gimborn was also very much a first for me. I got to experience having my lecture translated into German. T he Biker Gangs and Organised Crime Seminar has been running for a few years now. Each year I saw it on the Gimborn prospectus and thought it sounded interesting, but it was only ever offered as a German language seminar. Then, while at Gimborn for last year’s Crime Writers’ Seminar, Sean Hannigan talked them into offering it in German and English, and also secured me the opening session of the week. My lecture was taken directly from the research for my biker history book. I took the group back to the 1947 “Hollister Incident“, which was adapted into Marlon Brando’s Wild One film. This is where the idea of the 1% biker came from, as the American Motorcycle Association declared that 99% of bikers are law abiding, while the Hollister trouble makers belonged to the 1%. This was adopted as a badge of honour by the criminal biker gangs. My lecture took us through the Hell’s Angels forming in the aftermath of the 1947 incident, then arriving in London, amongst the Mods and Rockers violence. Then, as tensions grew between the Hell’s Angels and their bitter rivals, the Outlaws, both gangs grew and expanded their influence around the world.

Jacqueline is a German speaking Swiss, who was, as expected, fluent in English. I was immensely impressed at the speed in which she repeated my words in German. I had expected having to speak slowly, with lots of pauses. But that was not necessary, as she was keeping up with a normal, conversational pace of speech. In order to give Jacqueline sufficient recovery time, we adopted a pattern of 20 minutes of lecture, followed by 10 minutes of rest. I found myself ready for the rest periods, and I was speaking in my first language. The group was predominantly German, with a couple from Holland and Luxembourg, and one member from New Zealand. All spoke at least a smattering of English, as well as German. I was very impressed by the dedication of New Zealand Officer Campbell Coulton, who booked the seminar when English translation was on offer. When told there would no longer be an interpreter, Campbell decided to come anyway. He had some basic schoolboy German, which he revised with online material. Then, he arrived in Germany two weeks early, to immerse himself in the language. He seemed to be holding his own in the group of German speakers, and made me a little ashamed of my very poor language skills. If you have not yet experienced Gimborn, then you really should give it a try. Although I missed out on a translator, there are a wide range of job and leisure courses on offer, which provide one of the best member benefits we have. The facilities are constantly being upgraded, with a lovely new lecture theatre and a gym / sauna. Each of our worldwide IPA sections have decorated a bedroom. On this trip, I was surrounded by memorabilia from Section Hungary.

I was also able to bring a lot of my own experience of the biker world, as I spent the 80s and early 90s on the periphery of the culture, never quite crossing the line to become an outlaw. Having set the scene, with my lecture on the history of biker culture, the rest of the week’s program was filled with investigators who have first-hand experience of taking on the gangs. Sadly for me, there was insufficient support from English speaking members, and Gimborn had to cancel the German to English translator, which meant I was unable to stay on for the remainder of the seminar. My day of working with the English to German translator was a unique experience for me and provided an insight into just what a difficult job the interpreters have.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.3, 2019

Culture Corner

Letter to the editor Dear Neil Why we write I was so pleased to read the article under the above heading. There are so many reasons to sit down and exercise the English, or any other, language. I will certainly support the IPA UK Writers SIG and will write to Sean Hannigan to progress this. D uring my second career as a Security Consultant , I was approached by the Crime Writers Association, and commissioned to supply a chapter on Industrial Espionage for their handbook. This experience led me to extend my scribbling habit with articles for magazines, etc.

Section UK Writers SIG & Writers Forum AGM 2019 The Section UK Writers SIG & Writers Forum held their 2019 AGM via the Zoom videoconferencing platform. T he Writers Group was formed out of the 2018 Gimborn Writers’ Seminar. The delegates and presenters were all at varying stages of their career; from complete novice, to commercially successful and all points in between. Gimborn Dates for the 2019 Writers Seminar at Gimorn are now set for: 11th to 15th November 2019. If not already booked please do so, as there has been a high level of interest. New presenters are still being confirmed. The seminar will include poetry and many other topics. SIG Membership The Chair’s View: Three reasons for existence: 1 As a mutually supportive writers’ collective , acting in the spirit of friendship of the IPA organisation, by inspiring writing and encouraging members to write, not only across a wide range of genres, but of their policing experiences. Five new members have joined the SIG, in addition to those of us who met at Gimborn. They are all very welcome and bring our membership to over 20. Challenge Yourself The Challenge Coin is now being sold at a discount from £5 to £3, of which £1 goes to our National Charity, the Police Roll of Honour Trust. There are very few coins left so get them while you can. I am also looking for suggestions for next years IPA Charity so if you have a Charity in mind then please get in touch with Sean at vphannigan@ipa-uk.org. The Crafty Copper So have you ever wanted to try your hand at Bonsai, or Oil Painting ,or Beekeeping, or British Sign Language, or Amateur Radio, or Crafting, and a host of other activities? If so, then please come along to the 2-day Crafty Copper event at Fox Road, on the 2 As a market place for our members’ work. 3 To provide a range of services to members which may include insurance, education, access and advice on all writing topics, tips, writing expertise, proofreading, copyright and publication advice.

I enclose a promotional leaflet regarding The Dark Side of Ecstasy , which I self- published as my first full length novel. The incentive for this project came from my post retirement experiences as a Security Advisor to Mecca and Rank Leisure. Inevitably, much of that time was spent dealing with the drink and drug problems in the nightclub world. When I retired from Rank Leisure, I wanted another crack at the illegal drugs industry. Knowing the parents of our younger generation were more inclined to read fiction, I constructed a story, which in the

telling illustrates the many disastrous and horrific facets of that world. All profits will go to charities supporting those afflicted by drug addiction. Roy Harvey Dear Roy N o one was more surprised than me when I discovered a flair for writing. Over the years I have heard a huge variety of stories about what motivated serving and retired cops to begin writing. Yours is certainly a noble motivation, which I hope raises significant funds for your charities. Please do get involved with the SIG. It is a great vehicle for us all to collaborate and motivate each other. Good luck. Neil Help us go Green A small team of dedicated IPA members has been working steadily through the Archive at Fox Road, enabling us to digitise our IPA History. I f you want to join them and have time to spare , please get in contact. Full training will be given and there will be another 3-day Archivist event next year to look forward to. For further information please contact Sean Hannigan at vphannigan@ipa-uk.org .

26th and 27th of October this year. Please contact Sean Hannigan for further details.

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Article

Australia Through a Fly Net Dave Sismey , Derbyshire Branch To say I stank after 16 days without a wash, or change of clothes, was an understatement. Water was a precious commodity, which we had for drinking, cooking and teeth cleaning. We did swim in the occasional water hole with

Ghan railway Alice Springs

our clothes on, doing the laundry at the same time. I had spent 16 days hiking the Larapinta Trail , which runs for 150 miles; west from Alice Springs in the Northern Territories to Mount Sonder. It was very tough and demanding. Extreme heat, difficult terrain and lack of water were the main challenges, carrying up to 10 litres of water in our backpacks. I was advised to walk the trail in the Australian winter. Even so, temperatures were in the 30’s, in the summer it reaches the 40’s. This is one of the remotest places in the world which suited my thirst for visiting wild places. As Crocodile Dundee would say, I was going ‘walkabouts’. I was the only Brit among our band of Australians: Geoff, a 68 year old doctor, with a hip replacement; Geoff’s wife Pip; Sam, a nurse, whose skills we hoped not to need, Georgie, and Tom, an estate agent. Our two guides were called Deckland and Lish. We were issued with our ‘swagbags’ as we would be sleeping under the stars. With no light pollution, the night sky was stunning. I woke up one night thinking someone was shining a torch in my face; so bright was the moon. On the odd night I heard a dingo howling in the distance, and Deckland hurling rocks if it came into camp. The other threat were the big black crows, flying around or watching from the trees, looking for an opportunity to pounce. They had no fear of humans and were skilled in unpicking zips on bags, opening packets and causing mayhem when searching for food. We learned to cover things up. I knew that in the wilderness there were wild cows, camels, donkeys and horses, but we only saw their tracks. We did see some 2ft long

difficult to see the trail and charred branches, on which I tripped and cut my shin. It was not serious, but it bled and was covered with flies in seconds. We then followed a lush green, dry creek bed for several km, scrambling over boulders, and climbing a ‘waterfall’, which was probably a waterfall when it rained, but was dry as a bone. On our long 30 km section, we set off at 5am and walked until 5pm, with temperatures reaching 37º C. There was no water, so it all had to be carried. I stopped every half hour to drink tepid water from my bottles. Halfway through the day was a steep climb to Saint Giles Lookout. Our last three hours were over ground laid bare by a bush fire. The land was charred black; someone described it as Armageddon. There was no shade or relief from the relentless sun. By the end I had only one mouthful of water left. We started the hike hoping the skills of our medics would not be required. At Camp 12, our guide Lish was poked in the eye by a thorn. Luckily Dr Geoff was an Ophthalmologist. Lish spent an uncomfortable night, and next day she was taken to hospital in a 4x4. I am told she made a full recovery. The bush she walked into has long needle-like thorns and is known as the ‘Death Bush’, because during a drought, it is the last bush to die. We reached the summit of Mt Sonder, on day 15. This was a long day, starting at 3am, to reach the top by sunrise. It took three hours to reach the top. The shadow cast by the mountain at sunrise formed a perfect triangle

Europa Ridge

Swag Bag

lizards and lots of kangaroos in the distance. A fly net around your hat was essential; the millions of flies drove you insane. Every day we walked between 15 and 30 km, depending on the terrain. Most days we started walking by 6am, to avoid the afternoon heat. On some long days, we were off by 3 am, when a head torch was essential. Of course this was not a race and we wanted to enjoy the hike, the object was to complete the trail. The record is 61 hours, but we had no intention of being anywhere close to that. Day one was a baptism by fire, as I was suffering from jet lag, and was dehydrated when we started walking along the 790 m high Euro Ridge. With no shade, the 35º heat reflected back from the rocks. I could not drink enough water, which set the standard for the rest of the trail. As a result, every morning I drank as much as I could before we set off. By day four, we reached Standley Chasm and walked through miles of fire damaged land. Ash covered the ground like grey talcum powder, making it

on the low lying land below. I looked at the peaks that surrounded us, and thought that no human had set foot on the majority of them. The drive back to Alice Springs took three hours and brought home just how far we had walked. Once I cleaned myself up, I had a couple of days to kill in Alice Springs. At the railway station I saw a ‘Ghan’ train. The train runs 1850 miles from Adelaide to Darwin, stopping only in Alice Springs and Katherine. It takes 54 hours to complete the journey but, with stops, takes three days. The train’s 44 coaches carry 348 passengers and 55 crew. It is called the Ghan in honour of Afghan camel drivers who ran the camel caravans before the railway was built. Flying out of Alice you realise how big and remote this place is; all I could see from the aeroplane was desert and dry river beds. It was like flying over the surface of Mars.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.3, 2019

Article

Dining with – Only Fools & Horses Martin Wray , Treasurer, 6 Region Two years ago, some 50 members and guests of 6 Region attended a hugely successful Fawlty Towers Dining Experience, so it was an easy decision when the same company announced similar plans for Only Fools & Horses. We just had to go. F awlty Towers and Only Fools & Horses are among the best comedies to ever hit our screens and have rightly enjoyed tremendous success. Not to be confused with the current West End It was clear that our hosts were very adept in their roles. Every wink, nod and mannerism was captured beautifully in performances that really did capture the essence of Nelson Mandela House, the Nags Head and Peckham market.

version of Only Fools & Horses, this is a unique dining experience where the ‘customers’ enjoy a close up performance that no West End show can offer. The Edwardian Grafton Theatre, situated within Radisson Blu’s Tottenham Court Road hotel, was the venue for this brand new show. We gathered for pre-show drinks and without warning, Del-Boy and Rodney kicked off the show, right in the middle of the assembled masses. It was apparent from the start that it was going to be a riotous festival of classic Fools & Horses. Without spoiling it too much for those who wish to experience it for themselves, all the major characters that made us laugh throughout the 90’s and 00’s are on hand to take you through a typical evening down at the Nags Head. Marlene & Boycie, Uncle Albert,

Only Fools and Horses was, and still is, a great British institution. The characters are all household names, and over the years they have provided us with classic sketches that will live on well into the next century. John Sullivan, the scriptwriter, so expertly captured the working class East End era that our hosts have somehow managed to carry over to the small stage. After it was all over, it was a lovely touch that the cast were happy to pose for a few photos.

Cassandra, Trigger and of course Del-Boy & Rodney get up to all their old tricks, wheeling and dealing their way in and out of dodgy deals, in an attempt to settle un-paid debts. This was occasionally interspersed with a pub quiz to promote interaction between the actors and punters. Somewhere in-between the laughs, we ate a three course meal that almost went by without noticing it.

POLICE WORLD Vol 64 No.3, 2019

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