PW_4_2018

Article

Twinning with Section Ireland Denis Hunt , Secretary, Wales Region

IPA nights at the Tower of London Clive Wood , President– Section UK I recently took advantage of our excellent member benefit in being able to attend the Ceremony of the Keys at the Tower of London. Members of the IPA have been able to enjoy this opportunity for many years which is not open to members of the public and includes access to the Beefeaters bar. T o ensure the event continued to be viable for the Warders opportunities to attend have been widened but the IPA night name still remains. Of course the Yeomen Warders themselves often choose to bring guests to supplement the numbers and enhance the ambience of the evening. I am grateful to Gary Egerton and his wife Doreen who now manage bookings for the event on our behalf. When a Branch or Region wish to organise a visit to the tower email to toweripa@yahoo.co.uk This will allow Doreen to check the diary to see when your group can be accommodated. I would recommend booking as early as possible. It is also important to note that there is a strict dress code for access and if this is not matched access may be denied. This would be embarrassing both for ourselves and the organisers. Gentleman wear a suit or collar and tie, and ladies wear a smart outfit. After the private tour by the Yeoman Warder, who will have given up their evening to take you around, you do get a chance to visit the bar. The prices are extremely reasonable and, again, the bar staff volunteer their time, so including them in your round as well as the Yeomen Warder would be a nice thing to do. To be very clear, there is no charge for access to this historic ceremony. I’m aware that some organising members charge an administration fee. Whilst that is a matter for individual members booking for the evening it is not a requirement of the IPA or The Yeoman Warders. Please do continue to support the event which is a significant member benefit for us and of course a really nice evening out. Gary and Doreen will give you all the details when booking but if you have any queries don’t hesitate to contact them directly or indeed myself.

During September, it was the privilege of Wales Region Executive, namely Chairman Ken Davies, Treasurer Clive Cowey and Secretary Denis Hunt, to be hosted in the town of Wexford by Section Ireland. The full and enthusiastic formal meeting was arranged to set up twinning facilities, initially between Dyfed Powys Branch and Tipperary Region, but it then progressed to similar links being set up for South Wales Branch and the Regions of Wexford and Waterford. W hat really came out of the meeting was the overwhelming enthusiasm in Ireland for the IPA, with about 60% of the Garda being active members. This amounts to a membership of over 7000. It was really encouraging to see that at the meeting of Region representatives, many were serving officers aged around 30 to 35. Much of this ‘rebuild’ of the IPA has taken place over the past 8 or so years, with members not simply being ‘signed up’ when they are new recruits at the national training school, but immediately becoming directly involved in the extremely wide range of social and professional development activities that are offered and heavily subsidised by Section Ireland. There is no doubt that much of this success flows from the support given by the Police service itself, with many senior serving officers being members. Although the membership fee is higher than the UK (currently €45), it is taken directly from the members monthly salary by the Force. The return by way of social and professional study subsidies more than compensates. South Wales Branch have been asked by the Wexford and Waterford Regions if we would consider a Friendship Visit to their area. They would be very keen on a small golf challenge, or a visit to the horse races in the Wexford area. Their annual Five a Side Football competition is open to all comers, with a holiday in Spain for the winning team! How can we match that? They would accept a team from Wales if we were to put it together for the competition this October, or alternatively for the 2019 event. For members who simply like to travel socially with their families or friends, please be mindful of the fact that Section Ireland has currently available at least six IPA ‘houses’ (usually quality apartments) that can be rented. Some are only available on a single week hiring; others such as Dublin are on a daily booking. The recently upgraded apartment at Wexford, based in a most desirable location on the edge of the town is around €25 pp per night for members, slightly higher for non-members. Obviously they are on a self-catering basis only. The Accommodation link at the IPA Section Ireland website provides an excellent description and photograph of each property. So that is Section Ireland, with a membership that is young, frighteningly enthusiastic towards the IPA, full of ideas and itching to become involved with their neighbours across the water.

POLICE WORLD Vol 63 No. 4, 2018

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