What’s in it for me?
When I ask police officers if they are members of IPA, I get two replies. First, ‘When I finish my shift I don’t want to think about the police’ and the second, ‘What’s in it for me?’
I have no answer to the first question, but to the second I reply, “I can’t tell what’s in it for you but I can tell you what’s in it for me”. Firstly, membership of an organisation which promotes friendship among police officers throughout the world. Secondly, the chance to make and meet friends from all the world from New Zealand to Alaska, South Africa to Russia and everywhere in between.
My first experience of IPA came on a visit in 1986 to the police headquarters in Chester where I saw a notice informing that Cheshire branch were organising a trip to Holland. This seemed appealing so I contacted the local Secretary, Mike Ashcroft, where upon my wife, Joyce, and I went on the trip.
I joined Cheshire branch and started to attend the monthly meetings and join in the various social activities. The Dutch trip was followed by a further trip to Leck in Germany. On both trips we were guided by local IPA officers and made most welcome and so we became involved in the IPA. As a result, we hosted our first international visitors, Bill and Doris Meredith, from Tucson, Arizona in 1988. The wonderful thing about the IPA is that it can be a two way deal - you can benefit from the travel opportunities but you also also really reap rewards from hosting too!
Since then visitors from afar afield as New Zealand, Australia, Canada, America, Spain and Holland have stayed at our my home.
We travelled around the world visiting many places and experiencing genuine IPA friendship. One trip that comes to mind that illustrates this was our trip to South Australia. On our way home we detoured through Los Angeles, member Bill Meredith contacted us and took us out for a meal with other local representatives. He had travelled about 500 miles to take us out, such is IPA friendship.
We have also travelled in Europe and stayed at IPA houses in Holland and Germany. These houses are really well worth staying at and offer the chance to meet other travellers from around the world. Most countries now have IPA houses and enable members to have holidays at reasonable expense.
During these travels I have made friends that I am still in contact with 20 years later.
In 1994 I travelled with Merseyside branch, this time to Alaska, cruising the Inland Passage and Vancouver. Since then, I have been welcomed at International meetings in Luxemburg, Bournemouth, South Africa, Australia, Ireland, Greece, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Russia and Turkey, and friendship weeks in Holland, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Sicily, Denmark, Poland, Belgium, America, Hong Kong, Macau, Cyprus and Germany. In all these places local officers have shared with me their local culture and shown me many places of interest.
This is ‘what’s in it for me’ - the chance to visit other countries, to be guided around them, but above all to meet other people of a like persuasion and to make friends from all around the world.
So - what’s in it for you?
Real opportunity! To be a member of an organisation which promotes friendship throughout the world? A chance to be accommodated wherever you travel. A chance to study at an IPA college in Germany in order to enhance your professional career. A chance to join like minded people in a spirit of friendship and enjoyment.
Information is readily available from Section UK administration office in Nottingham (BSAC), either by telephone:0115 981 3638 or via email: mail@ipa-uk.org
David Moore, Cheshire branch member