PW_4_2025

Keeping you informed

Karen Duckworth’s Speech at the Gala Dinner

President Hoffmann, distinguished guests, friends. Thank you for this moment to share a personal view from Section UK about the achievement of our Founder, Arthur Troop, in this, our 75th anniversary year. As everyone here will be aware, Arthur joined Lincolnshire Constabulary in 1936, a small force on the east coast of England, and he served throughout World War 2. By 1949, Lincolnshire Constabulary, like all forces in England, was still dealing with the impact of the aftermath of the war on communities, for example, rationing was only just coming to an end in 1949. So, the policing landscape was changing all the time. I would like to note here that when the first police force was established in England in 1829, its fundamental principle was that of policing by consent. This means that the power of the police comes from the common consent of the public, not the power of the state. This would have been as much Arthur’s guiding principle during his service in Lincolnshire as it was during my career policing in London. It instills an appreciation for the need to work in partnership and be able to collaborate with others. The importance of being able to build strong and lasting relationships based on mutual respect and friendship within policing as well as outside with the public and other agencies, in order to achieve the best results. Arthur says in his autobiography that after years of bitter distrust and brutality leading up to and through the War, “friendship and trust had to take their place, otherwise there would be no meaningful outlook for Mankind for years to come”. So commenced his mission to renew his previous links and pen-pal friendships within the UK and International policing but including a definite purpose – to galvanize a future with freedom, peace… with friendship at its heart. Arthur recognized that for any group to come together successfully, the message of friendship would need to transcend those subjects which were as controversial then as they remain now, including politics and religion. Partnership working was then as it is now about finding common goals and putting personal differences aside in order to achieve the best outcome for the greater good… in our cases, as police officers, the communities we serve. Recently, in a message celebrating International Day of Police Cooperation, International Vice President Oliver Hoffmann noted “every new handshake, every shared experience, and every cross-border professional connection strengthens our collective ability to serve our communities. By building a network of trust, we make the world a safer place, one friendship at a time.” Those words could just as easily have been written by Arthur in 1950 and will resonate with every member of the police family doing their best to serve the public today. Section UK is extremely proud that Arthur Troop was one of ours and are even more proud of what this young man from Lincolnshire has achieved when we look at the IPA now. His message hasn’t changed, but our ability to make it happen through the advent of technology has, and as the new President of Section UK, I look forward to sharing that journey with you all. Thank you

POLICE WORLD Vol 70 No.4, 2025

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