PW_4_2023

Professional Development

Exchanging with the Germans Andrew Wienand , London North Branch I was fortunate enough to be selected to attend a last minute exchange in Bonn, Germany, during August. The three night visits organised by Alex Williams (London North Branch) are part of a new initiative to bring more professional development opportunities to serving IPA members this autumn. Reciprocal visits will see London IPA branches host several German police officers to experience policing and social opportunities during their three day programmes.

R yan Fitt and I were collected from the airport by the Commissioner of Police, Andreas Piastowski, who drove us to the Specialist Unit, BKE. We had a great input from the Deputy Head, who outlined his unit’s role and responsibilities. This riot unit is also specialised in Armed Counter Terrorism Policing. They gave us a rundown of all the different responsibilities of the Bundespolizei, including: Borders, Helicopters, Riot, GSG9 and Close Protection. In the evening, we were welcomed by the head of the local IPA. We introduced ourselves and talked about or roles before we had dinner and chatted to all the members. On Friday, our day started off with a bang at the gun range. It was brilliant. Loads of bullets were fired at interactive moving targets. Our instructors were fantastic teachers, and I wish we had this technology available in the Metropolitan Police. A short visit to CID was next on the agenda. We were told how their unit worked, before having an informative lesson with their Forensic officer. I was surprised to learn that all Sudden Death calls are attended by CID officers. In the afternoon we visited the traffic garage, where we sat on a police motorbike, and saw what great technology it was equipped with. Their incident response vans are so high tech that they have their own power source and air conditioner. The evening was spent in a gem of a restaurant, which was the best Spanish food I have eaten

outside of Spain. We were joined by two other members and even saw our host sing Spanish songs, whilst wearing a sombrero. A great end to a fantastic second day. On Saturday I had my first ever ride along in a foreign country, and loved it so much I went twice. My colleagues were great fun and it was good to see that not too much changes between countries, with our customers and processes. It was great fun and I would definitely do it again. I have been trying to organise a ride along for close to five years, and am thankful Andreas could make it happen. The rest of the day I was taken on a tour of the “House of History” by Andreas, as well as a walking tour of Cologne. He has in-depth knowledge of so many buildings and the history behind them, that there was never a dull moment. Sunday was a particularly thrilling day, as Andreas managed to secure the Marine unit for a trip up the Rhine. I learned all about the different instruments on board their vessel, as well as what their role entails. The views were spectacular, and it really was a memorable experience that even Andreas had never done before. We ended our exchange with lunch at the old DDR (German Democratic Republic) outpost in the airport, before wishing our host farewell. I am so happy to have taken part in this exchange and look forward to showing the many new friends I made, around London.

POLICE WORLD Vol 68 No.4, 2023

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