Last week saw IPA London North Branch host yet another three day / three night exchange programme masterminded by London Reception Officer Alex Williams.
Police officers Eike Eckelt and Niklas Jungk from the Rhein-Sieg-Kreis district near Cologne, Germany were treated to an action-packed whistle stop tour of policing in London supported by the MET and City of London police.
The programme kicked off with the city of London police show-casing their response teams on Monday. Eike and Niklas joined early turn and spent the day learning the ropes of ‘city life’. After work we retired to the Civil Service Club on Great Scotland Yard for some good old pub food and sampling of the local tipples.
Tuesday saw a blast around HQ Lambeth, kindly hosted by IPA member Paul Clarke. The Public Order department gave us a talk about major incident preparedness, followed by a stimulating visual presentation about football hooliganism. Our Firearms command MO19 delivered a brief in regard to armed responses for London followed by a closer look at the vehicles, kit and weapons. A guided tour around the Special Operations Room in the bunker was followed by a guided tour of ‘first contact’ and ‘dispatch’ commands. The afternoon saw a more relaxed pace with a delightful visit to the MET Police Horses to learn how the mounted division contribute to Londons policing plan. IPA member Dan Uddin kindly took the reins for the late afternoon hosting a pub dinner and a very memorable evening at the Tower of London for the Ceremony of the Keys.
On Wednesday Eike, Niklas and two more serving German cops from the IPA London Reception Officer Circular list joined a wonderful tour of Parliament and Palace of Westminster led by IPA member Alex Scott. A quick visit to New Scotland Yard followed and then a journey to west London, Twickenham. IPA member Kurt Logue organised Eike and Niklas an afternoon with their response teams providing a great contrast to the City of London experience. A swift beer in a county pub on the river to quench the thirst then gave us energy to head back to Waterloo to meet socially with other IPA members and a great evening was enjoyed by all.
Our final day was a relaxed one. We managed to arrange a photo visit to 10 Downing Street and then a guided tour around London’s most central police station Charing Cross to see the different operational departments and chat to detectives, officers and police staff about their roles. Our exchange programme was provided the perfect end by IPA member Shiven who generously invited us to dine at his Turkish restaurant in Dalston. We had great conversations over a tasty meal and concluded the evening with a stroll around the West End enjoying the frivolities and liveliness of a Thursday night.
A heart felt thanks to all IPA members who stepped forward to help. These types of exchanges always rely on IPA members offering help and support. By attending the events you can make a big difference and you will find you will benefit greatly from the experiences, opportunities and connections you make. The IPA is a friendship association, run by members for members. ‘Service through friendship’ is our motto, and what great friendships we all made last week. Thank you one and all!
Nota Bene:
Look out for the final German exchange visit in September, and also the three Dutch exchanges this autumn. Email London North branch for further details…. london-north@ipa-uk.org
Alex Williams, London Reception Officer
