Issuu

Accommodation Prices 2024

IPA Members

Non Members

IPA House Dublin

€35 per night PPS

€40 per night PPS

Single Supplement charge is withdrawn

Children under 16 years old – Half Price & Infants under 3 years old - Free

Apartments (excluding Killarney)

IPA Members €30 per night PPS

Non Members €35 per night PPS

IPA Members children (16+) €30 per night

All Children under 16 yrs FREE in all Apartments

Bed Linen & Towels (Overseas Visitors Only)

€10 per person per stay

Single Supplement Charge is withdrawn

High Season (July & August)

Galway

Cork

Sligo & Wexford

€575 per week

€450 per week

€400 per week

Note: Minimum 7-day rental in High Season, Sat to Sat, (week max)

Bed Linen & Towels (Overseas Visitors Only)

€10 per person per stay

Dear Members,

Following a number of years of less than satisfactory maintenance, I’m delighted to showcase our Galway property restored to its former glory! Approximately 18 months ago engagement with the Property Management Company commenced, there were legacy issues that need to be resolved, poor maintenance, lack of payment from unit owners and no engagement from Company management. Fate intervened, and after much too and fro, all ﬁnancial matters are resolved and up to date. This has contributed in no small way to the courtyard being overhauled and the block re-painted. Later this year we are hoping to carry out more refurbishment at the property internally for your comfort and enjoyment! Progress will be published! Until then, enjoy!

Yours in friendship,

Chris Verling, National Accommodation Ofﬁcer

Accommodation Ofﬁcer: Chris Verling, 13 Iona Drive, Glasnevin, Dublin 9, D09 RC94, Ireland

Email: accommodation@ipaireland.org

Killarney Apartment Only

Rate per night includes the following:

• Accommodation for up to 6 adults/kids

• Free Parking

• Cleaning/Linen & Towels

• Family Access to Aquila Leisure Centre/Gym October – April

€220 two nights minimum (Additional nights at €110 per night – Max €500 for 7 Nights)

per week

All Prices are shown inclusive of Vat at 13.5% rate Vat invoice issued for each booking May – September - Seven nights minimum stay Saturday to Saturday Only

Low Season (September to June inclusive Apartments Only)

Cork, Sligo & Wexford

Galway

€300 per week

€365 per week

Note: Applies to 7-day rental in Low Season only Ben Linen & Towels (overseas visitors only)

€10/person (per stay)

Tel: +353 (0)1 830 2907

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ipaIrelandHouses

Twitter: www.twitter.com/IpaIrelandHouse

Another

Welcome to the Summer 2024 edition of the IPA Journal. Editorial

I hope that all of you are enjoying the summer and that some of you have been lucky to experience some warm weather, here or abroad. There has been plenty of IPA activity since our last Edition, with the annual IPA National Council, the IPA Aran Event, as well as IPA attendance at many events, including Gimborn and the Young Police Oﬃcer’s event in Iceland.

The IPA Aran Event, organised by Region 29 Galway, was held in late June and attracted visitors from here and abroad. This was its 10th year and the event is going from strength to strength, with over €1,500 raised for oﬃcial IPA charities. This family event is sure to remain a star attraction for members and their families each Summer. The 2025 event will take place from 1st July, so be sure to book your place early.

Our YPO members should find the ‘Iceland on Patrol’ article of interest, which captures the attendance of Liam O’ Conghaile and Anthony Kilcullen at this event in March 2024. The members joined seven colleagues from the United Kingdom, Finland, Norway and Denmark for five days in Iceland, embedding themselves in the Icelandic Police, with presentations and visits to many of the specialist sections, including a ‘ride along’ in Reykjavik. Liam and Anthony are just the latest of our YPO members who have benefitted from this type of trip, which has no doubt attracted more younger members to IPA.

A date for the diary – 28th August 2024, when the IPA National Golf Competition will take place, it would be great if each Region can send a Team. Finally, we would continue to encourage you to go to our website and register for online access, before downloading the IPA App. This will provide you with prompt communications on IPA activity and events worldwide. Don’t forget to turn on ‘push notiﬁcations’!

I hope that you have an enjoyable and relaxing summer.

Servo Per Amikeco

Chris Cahill Editor email: chris@ipaireland.org

IPA

JOURNAL IRELAND

www.ipaireland.org

IPA Journal is distributed to members of the International Police Association in Ireland, 75% are serving members of An Garda Síochána of all ranks, the remainder being retirees. We also mail the magazine to friends of IPA Ireland overseas. This magazine is sustained by the generous support of sponsors and advertisers; we exhort our members to appreciate this and to patronise those who contribute to our success. All revenue received by IPA in excess of requirements is devoted to philanthropic purposes. IPA provides funding for scholarships, relief of distress, charities, education, sport, cultural pursuits, bonds of friendship and co-operation between all police ofﬁcers.

IPA Office:

IPA House, 13 Iona Drive, Glasnevin, Dublin 9.

T: 01 830 2907 F: 01 830 4612

E: ipairish@gmail.com

Editorial Board

President: Conor O’Higgins

Editor: Chris Cahill

E: chris@ipaireland.org

1st Vice President: Marie Daly

National Treasurer: Damian Crummey

Contributors

Richard Casey

Marie Daly

Joyce O’ Grady

Conor O’ Higgins

Shane Smyth

Donie Sweeney

Mick Walsh

Publishers

Real Media Group

Suite 167, CoLab Business Centre, Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal

T: 074 91 77893

E: publish@realmedia.group

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in IPA Journal unless expressly stated, do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor, the Publications Management Committee, the International Police Association, the Publisher, An Garda Síochána or the Garda Commissioner. The Editor reserves the right to edit and abridge any material submitted for publication. Durgan Media excludes liability for any loss or damage resulting from errors or inaccuracies in the printing or omission of the whole or part of any advertisement. Further, views expressed within editorial content reflect those of the author, not those of Real Media, and are printed in good faith for informational purposes only. Advertisement material may not be reproduced without prior written permission from Real Media. The contents of the publication, such as text, graphics, images and other material may be protected by copyright under both Irish and foreign laws. Unauthorised use of the material may violate copyright, trademark and other laws.

Photo by Conor Luddy on Unsplash

President’s Message

Conor O’Higgins

Summer 2024

When you sit down to read our Summer Edition you are probably enjoying your summer break or just back. In either case I hope that you are enjoying the long days and getting out and about.

Since our last edition we had a very successful National Council, hosted by our friends in Region Kerry. The Brehon Hotel proved to be a very suitable and comfortable venue with excellent accommodation and very good food. I thank all involved who assisted in the successful staging of a very fruitful Council.

We now turn our eyes to the remainder of 2024. In September, Social Officer Donal Sweeney will be running off the National Soccer and Golf Competitions. I encourage all regions to participate and make these competitions a great IPA social occasion.

All regions are required to hold their annual meeting in the month of October. This is a very special year because it is Regional Congress year when new Regional Committees are elected and nominations agreed for electoral positions at National Congress 2025.

In October/November (date to be fixed) we look forward to our half yearly meeting of Regional Chairs and Secretaries. This meeting reviews the decisions of National Council and concentrates on issues of interest to the membership. Secretary General, Carlo Griffin will be circulating the venue, agenda and date of the meeting in September.

I am pleased to report the successful launch of our new Cross Border Initiative which took place in Monaghan in June (full report in my diary). A delegation from the National Executive Committee comprising myself, 1st Vice President, Marie Daly, Secretary General, Carlo Griffin and Accommodation Officer, Chris Verling had a very successful meeting with Commissioner Harris at Garda HQ (full report within).

I take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy Summer and enjoy the good weather. Wherever you go to, take a wellearned break.

Thank you for your continued support and membership of the International Police Association, Section Ireland.

GRADUATION DAY AT GARDA COLLEGE

On Friday 28th June 2024, Phase 234 celebrated their attestation and passing out parade at the Garda College, Templemore, and as always IPA were invited to the attend the event, in particular to present the IPA Prize to the successful student of that Intake.

The IPA Prize, in memory of Ned Joy and in the form of a scholarship was awarded to Garda Tanya Brady, a native of Midleton in Cork. We congratulate Tanya and wish her well in her future career.

The Commissioner also presented a unique prize on the day! A draw was held in our Winter 2023 Edition for a Lego Icons Police Station and the winner was Ciara Lee, who is pictured here receiving the prize at the ceremony.

Mise i gcairdeas

Conor O’Higgins

President IPA Ireland E: conorohiggins@gmail.com

» Philip Maree, Secretary, Sligo/Leitrim Region

» Adrian Durkan, Secretary, Cavan/Monaghan Region

» Patrick Donnelly, Secretary, Louth Region

Region 2, Section UK

» Rodney Macenzie, Londonderry Branch

» Liz Cullen, Fermanagh Branch

» Pete Connolly, Belfast Branch

» Kelly Gibson, Down Branch

» Phil Dornan, Armagh Branch

» Noreen Wall, Down Branch

Both Deirdre and Conor welcomed all to the meeting and set out the vision for future IPA activity. Each participant introduced each other and after some discussion the group broke into smaller groups of adjoining Regions/Branches to discuss how they can connect with activities in the future.

Out of the group meeting came the following proposals:

Region Cavan /Monaghan and Armagh Branch

» Christmas 2024 meet and greet

» Identify serving members and introduce serving member on both sides of the border

» Organise social events at races and sporting fixtures.

Region Louth/Down Branch

» Participation in IPA Hiking and Shooting Clubs

» Guided tours

Donegal and Sligo Leitrim Regions/Derry and Fermanagh Branches

» Join up with Motor Cycle Club

» Fishing outings

» Clay Pidgeon shoot in Longford

It was also agreed

» Pete Connolly, Region 2 Section UK and Willie Maye, Region Donegal would be Liaison People for this Cross Border Initiative

» A whats App group be formed

» The group would liaise with National Executive, Section

Ireland and Region 2 Committee through the Liaison Officers

» At least one activity be planned by the four cross border Regions/Branches before the end of 2024

19th June 2024 – IPA Delegation meeting with

Commissioner Drew Harris

An PA Delgation consiting of President Conor’Higgins, 1st Vice President Marie Daly, Secretary General, Carlo Griffin and Accommodation Officer, Chris Verling met with Commissioner Harris at Garda HQ on 19th June 2024. An agreed agenda was discussed which included:

» IPA Seminars at Gimborn

» IPA seminar at Garda College 31st August 2024

» 70th Anniversary celebration of IPA Section Ireland September 2025

» An Garda Síochána’s continued support of IPA

A very positive meeting took place and the Commissioner was able to respond in a very positive manner.

During the months April to July meetings of the National Executive Committee, Heads of Commission and Archive Committee were also chaired by the President, along with attendance on Zoom meetings.

Taoiseach Simon Harris and IPA President Conor O’ Higgins who attended ofﬁcial opening of Colm Horkan Memorial Pitch and Walkways, Charlestown GAA Club, Co. Mayo

NATIONAL COUNCIL

25TH APRIL 2024

Section Ireland held its annual National Council in the beautiful surrounds of Killarney, Co. Kerry on 25th April 2024. Hosted by Region 18 Kerry, this year’s event took place at The Brehon Hotel, which was an excellent venue, ideally suited to our Conference. Credit must go to the Kerry Committee who had been planning this event for almost two years.

Council was o cially opened by Michael Walsh, International Treasurer, and International guests included Ms. Deirdre Mahony, Chair, Northern Ireland Region, Section UK. A number of important motions were discussed and we were delighted to see some new Regional delegates attend. National Council 2025 will take place in Kilkenny.

The Kerry Regional Committee with Donie Sweeney

Regional Delegates enjoying proceedings

International Vice President Mick Walsh monitoring proceedings

Region 4 Delegate Mark McKenna speaking on a Motion at Conference

DMR South and Waterford Delegates

DMR East and Kerry Delegates

Garda HQ and Donegal Delegates

PHOTO

Honorary Life Membership

Asour readers will be aware, the Association, through the HLM Select Committee, considers nominations of IPA members to be awarded Honorary Life Membership (HLM) of the Association. This year, IPA bestowed HLM to former President Denis Dunne and Region 4 member Frank Fitzpatrick. As it turned out, both of these long standing IPA members were not in a position tom attend National Council. Denis Dunne will be formally presented with his award in September 2024.

On 29th April 2024, Region 4 DMR North was honoured at their regional meeting that President Conor O’ Higgins attended the meeting to present regional member Frank Fitzpatrick with his HLM award, for Frank’s dedicated service to the IPA over the last 40+ years. Regional Chair, Brendan Matthews, noted that Frank is a worthy recipient of the HLM for his tireless contribution to the IPA in diﬀerent roles within the organisation, from regional member to serving on the NEC. Brendan notes that Frank was very honoured, humbled and gracious in accepting this huge award, and he thanked IPA Present Conor O’ Higgins for travelling up to the region personally to present the award and for the committee in proposing him.

There will be a more detailed feature on the HLM Presentations in our Winter Edition, following the presentation of the award to Denis Dunne.

Frank receiving his HLM Award from President Conor O’ Higgins, pictured here with members of Region 4 DMR North at IPA House

HAVING ALWAYS HARBOURED A SECRET DESIRE TO DRIVE THE AMALFI COAST ROAD IN AN ITALIAN CLASSIC CAR COUPLED WITH SEVERAL ENTHUSIASTIC RECOMMENDATIONS TO SEE PUGLIA IN THE HEEL OF ITALY, WE OPTED TO COMBINE BOTH IN ONE TRIP.

Unfortunately, vintage Alfa Romeo’s or Ferrari’s were not on the menu at the car hire in Naples so we opted for a Fiat 500 instead! Using the autostrada to get out of Naples, we got o as soon as we could in order to see some countryside and headed for San Giovanni Rotondo on the southwest coast to see Padre Pio’s tomb.

A er lounging on the beach at Manfredonia the next morning we got bored and headed south to Trani. It was a beautiful town to ramble around but we had to make the mandatory stop (on my wife’s orders) next morning to wait for a wedding party to exit the town’s cathedral by the sea, but, to be fair, everyone present oozed Italian cool. A er a long swim inside the harbour walls my ice cream fetish was also sated when I opted for a pistachio and tiramisu combo which was ‘fantastico’.

Polignano a Mare was next on our list and the shingle beach surrounded by cli s looked like a 1950’s lm set. Despite the beach being wedged to capacity, it was very apparent that posing

earned more kudos than actual swimming. Nevertheless I like to think that the 2 pasty skinned Paddies emerging from the surf still turned plenty of Italian heads if only because they’d never seen such a brilliant shade of white before!

Our next stop was Monopoli, another stunning old town, where a certain Guinness ad featuring a ctional retired Italian Olympic swimmer was lmed. The guided tour of the caves at Castellana Grotte the next morning was stunning as well as our a ernoon stroll through the Trulli houses at Alberobello. These world famous whitewashed stone houses with conical roofs are a must see.

In Martina Franca we upped our game and sat in at a wedding in the cathedral just to get out of the heat and, once again, the style was on a di erent level. En route to Torre Rinalda we stopped o at Lecce and marvelled at its Piazza del Duomo where an episode of Top Gear was once lmed. It was also in Lecce that I had to be dragged, like an errant child, out of a Bianchi bicycle shop

because I would have happily re-mortgaged our house to buy every bicycle on display like pieces of ne art. That evening our moonlit drive home from Surbo through ancient olive groves felt like we were driving through our very own 1950’s lm set again.

The following morning I completed the Salento Parkrun in 33 degree heat and a erwards enjoyed some fabulous food provided free by the organisers to reward people for turning up (it’s a long way from anywhere). That a ernoon we both dived into the natural sea pool at the Cave of Poetry/Grotto Della Poesia with the con dence of a Redbull cli -diver coupled with the nesse of a dropped sack of potatoes! Later again we swam 50 metres into the back of a sea cave to the grotto of Our Lady at Santa Cesarea Terme where a sulphur spring warms the seawater in the cave.

Further south, Castro, Grotta di Novaglie, and Canale del Ciolo all provided stunning swimming spots before we arrived at the southern-most tip of Italy’s heel, the lighthouse at Sanctuario di Santa Maria di Leuca.

The western side of Italy’s heel is not as picturesque as the eastern side but Gallipoli and Taranto were well worth visiting

GIMBORN REVIEW

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, SO DEAR READER I SUBMIT MY OVERDUE ARTICLE ON MY WONDERFUL, INSIGHTFUL, AND EDUCATIONAL TRIP TO GIMBORN CASTLE IN MARCH 2023. I WAS VERY FORTUNATE TO BE ONE OF THE WINNERS OF THE GIMBORN SCHOLARSHIPS IN 2023, AND IT HAS CHANGED HOW I PERFORM MY ROLE AS A GARDA FOR THE BETTER AS IT GREATLY IMPROVED MY ABILITY TO DEVELOP POLICING PLANS, MEDIA ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENTS WITH THE PUBLIC, MASSIVELY IMPROVE MY ABILITY TO CORRECTLY ASSESS INCIDENTS THAT I AM RESPONDING TO, ALONG WITH A RANGE OF OTHER ASPECTS OF OUR ROLE AS GARDAÍ.

My ﬁrst step on this amazing experience was a phone call I got from IPA Kildare Secretary, John Jacob, who asked me would I be interested in attending Gimborn and advised me to submit my application. Well, I listened to the senior man and got my application in at once and I was soon delighted to learn that I would be heading oﬀ in March to complete a course called “Disaster and Crisis Management – The Challenge of Dealing with Disasters”.

After landing in Cologne on Sunday night, I met two Garda colleagues, Garda John O’ Sullivan from Limerick, and Sergeant Killian Daly from Dublin. Together we travelled at night along motorways, secondary roads, and along lonely and winding country roads until we arrived at Gimborn Castle late Sunday night.

My ﬁrst sight of this impressive castle in the dark was like stepping back in time 200 years ago, right into a German fairytale. I also saw the small perfectly still lake beside the castle and the surrounding buildings and church. This was all in darkness and it only added to the feeling of having been transported into a Grimm brother’s story. Thankfully John had been to Gimborn the previous year and gave me the lay of the land, so I was soon settled in and excited to start the next morning. The bedrooms were just behind the castle in a diﬀerent building and were a cosy delight.

On Monday morning, I joined John and Killian for breakfast in the canteen beside the Castle. I tasted some wonderful mett, which is raw mincemeat seasoned with salt, pepper and raw onions and I highly recommend trying it. There is a pleasant range of other foods to pick from, if mett is not your thing.

Next, we moved to the classroom where introductions where made. I got the opportunity and pleasure of meeting some

wonderful Police colleagues from across all ranks and roles, from Germany, The Netherlands, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Cyprus and Botswana, and we have all stayed in contact since we completed the course.

After the introductions, we met the Seminar Chair, Roger Gomm QPM of the London Policing College. Next we were given a brieﬁng of the course work ahead of us for the week. We would be covering a wide range of topics such as but not limited to: How do crisis and disaster diﬀer?; Anticipate Future Crises and Disasters that could Impact on the Police Service; Strategic Risk and Crisis Management in Terrorist Situations and the Key Learning from the Manchester Arena Terrorist Attack Enquiry; The role of Climate Change, including a Study of Weather Disasters in Germany in 2021, where large numbers of people died and some 15,000 police, soldiers and other emergency service personal were deployed; Global risks to policing; the Integrated Emergency and Crisis Management Model (IEM); (using the IEM we conducted round table discussions and tabletop exercises. The workload was heavy for the week ahead , but fascinating, interesting and very relevant to our roles.

In the evening, we had dinner together and would delight in discussing what we had just learned, how this new knowledge and mind-set could be used by our own Police Services along with the old Police tradition of asking about each other’s ways of Policing and learning from each other. We all bonded very quickly and, in the evening, together we would go for walks in the forests around Gimborn Castle and enjoy the views, getting lost in the trees, exploring the local area and meeting some locals. My new Dutch friends had brought along some drones which we used to get a very special view of our location. Also, it was very easy to catch up with family at home as there is excellent Wi-Fi. Later in the

Shane Smyth

evenings we would meet up in the cosy bar that is within the castle and enjoy each other’s company and the local beers.

On Wednesday morning we had a ﬁeld trip to Cologne where we visited the Cologne Police Headquarters, where we attended a very insightful and informative presentation from Andreas Sandvob, Commissioner at Police Headquarters, who gave an overview of the Cologne Police response to the ﬂooding that had occurred in 2021 and future plans to manage possible disaster and crises.

After lunch, Franz Kupper, press spokesman from Euskrichen, spoke to us about how the Police had dealt with Crisis Communication during the floods and the lessons learned, such as the fast and charging world of communication via social media. After this talk, we were treated to lunch in the station canteen where we met local officers from different units and compared the similarities and differences in our roles. Our last talk was given by Chief Inspector Ute Dommermuth who was over the Directorate of Special Tasks. He spoke to us about Strategic Risk and Crisis Management, and how this mindset is used today to deal with incidents along with a study of a breath-taking hostage situation that occurred in Cologne back in 1988 called the Gladbeck hostage crisis (well worth a google search).

After the brilliant talks we had a tour around the Station and got a chance to interact with and inspect some of the regular patrol vehicles. In each vehicle we were shown, we found MP5 submachine guns, ballistic armour, ballistic shields, ﬁrst aid equipment, glue dissolver to remove protesters, along with stingers and door entrance tools. One very interesting thing I learned was that the German Police in Cologne are forbidden to sit down in uniform and have a coﬀee or a bite to eat in public, as the police are not allowed to mix with the public due to the worry that it may lead to corruption. I explained how we are encouraged to mix and interact with the public at every opportunity and do so regularly. The Germans found this concept hard to understand.

After we left the Police Station, we visited the magnificent Cologne Cathedral that miraculously survived the Allied bombing of the City during World War Two. It is a renowned monument of German Catholicism and Gothic architecture and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1996. Construction of Cologne Cathedral began in 1248 but was halted in the years around 1560, unfinished. Attempts to complete the construction began around 1814 but the project was not properly funded until the 1840s. The edifice was finally completed to its original medieval plan in 1880. Next, we moved onto a small bit of shopping followed by a wonderful meal and drinks in one of the many bars that have numerous levels underground. The local beer is served in very small glasses as is the local tradition, just watch out for the very rude bar staff. But this just another local tradition and the staff really play into it and have fun with customers but the service we encountered was wonderful and professional.

Too soon we ended out day trip and we returned to Gimborn Castle. As Thursday began, we threw ourselves back into our classes and part of this was studying the London Riots in 2011, the build-up, the explosion of violence, the policing

Some of the Participants

The biggest challenge facing Police around the world is climate change. As police will have to investigate human traﬃcking, sex traﬃcking, money laundering, humanitarian crises and hate crimes to name but a few. We as police cannot address the root cause of this problem unlike all other issues. The future of policing is change and courses such as this and others that the International Police Association run enable us to educate, train and prepare ourselves to meet these challenges.

Shane Smyth, Community Garda, Naas Garda Station. shane.m.smyth@garda.ie

NRW State Police Helicopter

Polizei Drone Demonstration

Gimborn Seminar Room

The famous Gimborn Turnbar!

REGISTRATION FORM

Tay/Nore Side Céilí

Kilkenny Ireland

21st to 24th Janurary 2025

Details

Family Name:

First Name:

Male/Female

Address:

Aproximate arrival time in Kilkenny:

Arrival by Public transport:

IPA Section :

Special Diet requirements:

E-mail:

Mobile Phone:

Accommodation:

Hotel Rivercourt, Kilkenny - 21st to 24th January 2025

Double room shared with :

Twin room shared with:

Special requirements:

Travel information:

Travel from Dublin Bus:

Travel from Kilkenny Bus;

Tay/Nore Side Céilí daily schedule

Day 1 – 21/1/25

Arrive at Hotel Rivercourt, Kilkenny 6pm-Reception, greet and meet–Hotel Bar

Day 2 22/1/25

10am meet at reception and take a walking tour of the city centre

Free time

7pm–Dinner

Irish session of music and song in Hotel Bar

Day 3 – 23/1/25

Get to know the interesting sights of Kilkenny City

7pm–Céilí banquet

Céilí

24/1/25 Departure -Slán abhaile (Safe home)

Price per person in double/twin occupancy and single room:

Payment: Double PPS € 310 (Three nights bed, breakfast and evening meal)

Single supplement €. 440

Deposit €100 Required by 1st July 2024

***You are responsible for all bank fees***

PAYMENT DETAILS: by bank transfer.

IPA Treasurer

AIB, Navan Co, Meath

IBAN :IE63 AIBK 93218359912223

BIC: AIBKIE2D

Please include your NAME and Nore/Tay Side Ceile in the payment details.

Flying into Dublin it is 1 hour and 40 minutes drive to Kilkenny, if hiring a car.

If availing of public transport, there is a bus service to Kilkenny every two hours from Dublin Airport. When using this bus select your destination at Kilkenny City (Ormonde St). A return fare is €20.50. 10 minute walk from Bus stop to Rivercourt Hotel, Johns Street.

Make sure you book early and reserve a seat –www.ticketbooking.jjkavanagh.ie

Please email registration form to conorohiggins@gmail.com Before the 10th June 2024

YPO: ICELAND EVENT

“AR SCÁTH A CHÉILE A MHAIREANN NA DAOINE.” THIS WONDERFUL IRISH PHRASE PERFECTLY CAPTURES WHAT I EXPERIENCED ON A RECENT IPA TRIP TO ICELAND IN MARCH FOR 5 DAYS. AS A NATIVE IRISH SPEAKER, I INTERPRET THE SAYING TO MEAN THAT WHEN PEOPLE SUPPORT EACH OTHER, THEY CAN FLOURISH, A SENTIMENT I EXPERIENCED, WHETHER IT WAS FROM THE ICELANDIC PEOPLE OR MY INTERACTIONS AS AN IPA MEMBER WITH COLLEAGUES FROM ICELAND, NORWAY, FINLAND, DENMARK, AND FELLOW GARDA ANTHONY KILCULLEN.

We had the privilege of being selected by IPA Ireland, to go to Iceland, for the ‘Iceland on Patrol’ event, an opportunity to familiarise ourselves with the Icelandic Police and gain insight into their operations. We went together with 7 other colleagues, divided into 1 from Norway, 2 from Finland, 2 from England, and 2 from Denmark.

Baldur, the chairman of IPA Iceland and possibly Iceland’s tallest man, picked us up at the airport in Reykjavik late Tuesday afternoon, 19th March. On route to the hotel, we could see the active volcano spewing in the distance, which made us realise the ingenuity of the Icelandic people to build a thriving country on an island of essentially ﬁre and ice!

Tuesday was arrival day, and we had nothing on the agenda. You can take the lad out of Sligo, but you can’t take Sligo out of the lad. Anthony spent the day in the hotel spa. I went into town with colleagues from England and explored the beautiful city of Reykjavík. Then we met up with the others at the hotel for a beer and had the craic.

We received a presentation on Wednesday detailing the training methods of the Icelandic police, which di er signiﬁcantly from the Irish model. In Iceland, they have a police academy, which is located in Reykjavik. Icelanders only spend about 4 weeks each semester at their police academy. They dedicate the rest of their time to distance studies at the university, where they must physically meet for approximately 1–2 weeks each semester. Their university is located in the city of Akureyri, which is about 5 hours away from Reykjavik by car. At the university, they learn about the country’s laws, psychology, and other police-relevant topics.

The Icelandic patrol cars also caught our attention. State-of-theart Volvo patrol cars—we were envious, to say the least! They also store their pistols in the centre console between the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat. In Iceland, the police do not have personally issued guns, nor do they carry guns on a daily basis. The guns belong to the cars.

We also had the privilege of visiting their special forces, which are comparable to our own Emergency Response Unit (ERU). They called their special forces Viking In Iceland, there is no military, so the police, particularly the special forces, must handle any military tasks that the country may have.

Perfectly planned before lunch, we had a presentation from Iceland’s blood spatter expert, Ragnar Johnsson, who, in the best True Crime style, explained his work, showed us pictures, and told us about various murder cases in Iceland, where he and his knowledge in forensic science and especially blood spatter analysis were crucial to the investigation. Ragnar is so passionate about his ﬁeld that he is even the idea man and screenwriter of the Icelandic crime series Black Sands, which is about a lot of suspicious tourist deaths.

After lunch, it was time for the ride-along. In Reykjavik, we went to four stations, where we each went on patrol in di erent cars. The issues they face are similar to those in Ireland, with the exception of the extreme weather conditions they encounter, especially during the current evacuation of a small town near a volcano eruption. All police o cers in Iceland wear bodycams, which they must turn on when they are on assignment. It was a

REYKJAVIK

ICELAND MAP BY VEMAPS

We learned about the Northern Lights and Icelandic nature here, and we took a lot of beautiful pictures from their viewing platform.

quiet shift, and they thought it was due to the bad weather, which included hail, sleet, and wind.

Thursday started with a visit to their control centre. The Reykjavik call centre takes care of all 112 calls throughout the country. The control centre introduced a new initiative by deploying a drone near the town of Grindavik, currently under evacuation due to an active volcanic eruption. The drone was remotely controlled by a dispatcher in the control centre. The dispatcher ﬂew the drone close to the volcano, which was the closest we got to seeing the eruption with our own eyes. The dispatcher used the drone to monitor the area, not only to prevent burglaries in the abandoned houses but also to prevent dangerous situations where curious people moved too close to the volcanic eruption. On the drone, there was a loudspeaker so that the dispatcher could tell people to leave the area.

They then gave us a presentation about their civilian rescue service, made up of volunteers from all walks of life. They deploy them in search operations, during natural disasters, and during adverse weather conditions, among other situations. The volunteers will go through an 18-month training course where they learn mountaineering, orienteering, and other useful skills. The civil rescue service possesses all the necessary equipment to tackle both conceivable and unimaginable scenarios. There are 3,500 civilian rescuers who are on duty 24/7, 365 days a year, regardless of whether they are at home or at work. Iceland’s citizens also refer to them as heroes.

The last half of the day, we drove out to the police academy, where we got a tour and a talk about the structure of education. We experienced their taser simulator using VR glasses, as well as their shooting simulator.

One of IPA’s board members, who is also a teacher of the use of force, greeted us and guided us through the basic exercises used by the Icelandic police for self-defence. Iceland dedicates 5 training days annually to 3 modules: shooting, force use, and a third task such as stopping a dangerous o ender. They also incentivise a yearly ﬁtness test for all members where they get the equivalent of a €3,000 bonus for passing the Fitness text whilst having no repercussions for failing the test, together with a strong emphasis on self-defence techniques all to protect members safety, something that we should have as a minimum in An Garda Siochana to show we really care about our members safety and wellbeing.

The Icelandic IPA board invited us to dinner in the evening, providing a great opportunity to get to know each other outside of uniforms. After eating, we went to a library bar with live music and had a few drinks.

Friday was a lecture on organised crime and human tra cking with a former Chief from the PSNI, Roy McComb. We convened at the Police Academy alongside several Icelandic investigators. After our drive back to the hotel, we enjoyed a few hours of sightseeing before heading to an IPA party in the evening. Together with the others, we spent our free time visiting Perlan. We learned about the Northern Lights and Icelandic nature here, and we took a lot of beautiful pictures from their viewing platform.

We took a taxi to a sports bar that IPA Iceland had their annual AGM, it lasted less than 20 minutes in total, that’s how they like to do things and I loved the e ciency of it all. Then it was time to party. They had gathered about 100 Icelandic police o cers and provided some free beer and cider at the beginning of the evening. It was a wonderful way to end the trip with the others. The similarities between the Icelandic people and the Irish in their approach to life is very similar.

All in all, a successful and really cool trip to Iceland gave us a fantastic insight into how both the Icelandic Police and the police in Norway, Finland, England, and Denmark work. Overall. I learned that the IPA motto was not just a saying, but a way of life within the IPA family “Servo per Amikeco”. I would encourage members to get active within the IPA and avail of the brilliant opportunities that await you.

Garda Liam o Conghaile, assisted by Garda Anthony Kilcullen.

INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION • INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

4TH INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DRAWING COMPETITION

SOCIO-CULTURAL COMMISSION • ART AND CULTURE PROJECT

COMPETITION RULES

SCC Arts and Culture Project Team are organising the: 4th International Children’s Drawing Competition.

All children or grandchildren of our members, aged 6-12 years (born 1-1-2012 to 31-12-2018) are eligible to participate, provided that either a parent, grandparent, or guardian consent to both the child’s participation in the competition, as well as the permission to exhibit the submitted projects and grant rights to the International Executive Board (IEB) for use of the paintings in the construction of calendars, etc.

(Children and grandchildren of IEB members and SCC’s Arts and Culture Project members are excluded from the competition)

PHOTO BY AARON BURDEN

Each child participant must paint on A4 size paper. The following can be used: pencil, watercolours, tempera, oil pastel, dry pastel and inks. Projects must be accompanied by a completed entry form including the full name of the contestant (name, surname), age, parent’s email and contact phone number. Upon submission of the project, the parents shall automatically accept all the above conditions set by the Commission.

The deadline of the competition is the 15th August 2024. Any late submissions will be excluded from the competition.

Each contestant will be entitled to only two (2) entries and the same child cannot be a winner of more than one topic.

The topics of the competition are:

1. Police cars

2. Animals

3. Friendship

The competition will feature 3 winners from each category and one overall winner. The prizes will be:

• For the overall winner: a gift worth 100 euros

• For the ﬁrst winner of each category: a gift worth 50 euros

• For the second and third winners of each category: a gift worth 50 euros

The above sums of money, will be deposited by the Treasurer, in the respective National Section’s bank accounts.

All children will receive (by e-mail) a Certiﬁcate of Participation. Drawings will be exhibited on a board, during the 67th IPA World Congress in Ohrid, North Macedonia. A committee of educators and professional painters will choose the best paintings. The results of the competition will be announced on the last working day of the congress.

All drawings should be scanned and sent to the following e-mail address till 15th August 2024: artsandcultureprojectteam@gmail.com

Each participant is solely responsible for the complete and correct delivery of their information. Incomplete or incorrect completion of the participant’s details entitles the SCC to exclude him/ her from the Contest. Any of the participants and / or the winner, at any stage, may be excluded if they do not meet the conditions for entry. The contestants provide their consent and authorisation to IEB or SCC to publish the contest and / or its results through radio, television, as well as through print and electronic media and / or the internet. The IEB reserves the right to use and publish for any purpose, the list of winners, photos, ﬁlms and videos and may use any news item related to this competition for promotion purposes. Participation in the programme automatically provide consensus and assignment of the necessary rights (copyright, exploitation) for this purpose without any other claim against IEB and SCC. Participation in the contest implies the unconditional acceptance of the terms of the competition and entails the consequent waiver of any claim against IPA. Entries with content that infringes on public outrage and good morals or are subject to ambiguity or other technical defects will not be accepted. Entries that contain content that is offensive to the honour and dignity of any Public or Administrative or Ecclesiastical Authority or any third party, content that is abusive, incendiary, racist, or object to the provisions hereof, or in any other way deemed inappropriate by the IEB or SCC shall not make them liable for any criminal or civil liability to any winner or third party, for any accident that may occur and / or damage and / or for any physical or other damage that may be caused to them directly or indirectly in connection with the Competition.

MEMBER’S NAME:

INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION

INTERNATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

4TH INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN’S DRAWING COMPETITION

SOCIO-CULTURAL COMMISSION

ART AND CULTURE PROJECT

MEMBER’S IPA CARD NO:

RELATION WITH THE CHILD:

CHILD’S NAME:

CHILD’S DATE OF BIRTH:

SECTION:TOPICS OF THE PAINTING: (PLEASE TICK)

POLICE CARS

ANIMALS

FRIENDSHIP

GUARDIAN’S CONTACT DETAILS

ADDRESS:

MOBILE TEL. NUMBER:

E-MAIL:

BY SIGNING BELOW, I HEREBY DECLARE THAT THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS TRUE AND BY POSTING THIS ENTRY I HAVE READ AND ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THE COMPETITION.

DATE PLACE

SIGNATURE

ENTRIES RECEIVED LATER THAN 15/8/2024 WILL BE REJECTED

Please scan and sign this form and send it together with the painting scanned, to artsandcultureprojectteam@gmail.com

4 Nations International Police Rugby Championship (4NPR)

Westmanstown Sports Centre, Co Dublin, Ireland 24th April 2024

IPA SECTION IRELAND IS DELIGHTED TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THIS GREAT INTERNATIONAL POLICE SPORTING CHAMPIONSHIP, THE 4NPR. SECTION IRELAND CONTRIBUTED TO THIS NEW RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP THROUGH THE SPONSORSHIP OF THE INTERNATIONAL POLICE ASSOCIATION PERPETUAL TROPHY

There were ve Police Services involved in the championship:

• An Garda Síochána

• Police Service of Northern Ireland

• Police Scotland

• Police England

• Police Wales

Four teams involved:

• Ireland (AGS & PSNI)

• Scotland

• Wales

• England

The Final matches were played at Westmanstown Sports Complex in West Dublin on the 24th April 2024 and the championship was won by Team Wales.

The day began with a reception where Conor O’Higgins, President Section Ireland, presented the International Police Association Perpetual Trophy to the CEO of the 4 Nations International Police Rugby Championship (4NPR), Mr. Nick Bracken OBE DL. In his address, Conor wished all participants every good wish and in the true spirit of IPA, that this and future championships will provide for lasting friendship.

The rst of two games were played between Wales and England and then Ireland and Scotland. All teams were paraded onto the pitch by the Pipe Band of the PSNI and National Anthems were played by the Band of An Garda Síochána.

The games were watched by a big crowd of supporters from all ve services and included the Heads of An Garda Síochána and PSNI, Commissioner Drew Harris and Chief Constable Jon Boutcher, as well as other distinguished guests and sponsors of the championship. 92 serving members of the ve police forces participated as team members.

The championship banquet took place in the complex when almost 300 players, mentors and guests enjoyed a lovely meal. The meal was followed by speeches from Co-Patrons of Ireland Police Rugby Committee, Commissioner Harris, Chief Constable Boucher, Chair Eamon O’Grady, CEO of 4NPR, Nick Bracken, and a most interesting and informative speech by special guest, Former Irish Squad player, Mr Jim Mc Coy.

It was a great honour to join with Commissioner Harris and Chief Constable Boucher to present the International Police Association 4NPR Perpetual Trophy to the Captain of the victorious Team, Lewis Burley of Wales.

Conor O’ Higgins

Winning captain of Welsh Police team accepts cup from IPA President, Conor O’Higgins, Commissioner Drew Harris and Chief Constable Jon Boucher

Victorious Welsh team

President, Section Ireland, Conor O’Higgins presents the International Police Association Trophy to the CEO of 4 Nations Police Rugby (4PPR) Nick Bracken and 4NPR Committee members (L to R) Eamon O’Grady (Ireland) Ian Fletcher (England) Nigel Puddy (England) Chris Nisbet (Scotland) Andy Ward (England) and David Mc Burney (Northern Ireland)

ARAN EVENT 2024

IPA Region 29 Galway did it again this year in the Aran Islands, where for the tenth year the IPA Aran Event took place in glorious weather from 25th – 28th June 2024. A sizeable group participated this year, which included guests from Germany, Iceland and Northern Ireland, and of course lots of kids, as this is primarily a family event. As always there was plenty on oﬀer for everyone, including guided tours, walks, swims, and activities to keep all ages entertained. The highlight of the event was arguably the Pirate Fancy Dress which, as you can see from the pictures, was enjoyed by all ages! A draw was held at the Gala Dinner which raised an impressive €1,570 for the two oﬃcial IPA charities, Little Blue Heroes and the Laura Fund. Here are some pictures of the event, which will take place again on 1st July 2025, so be sure to subscribe to IPA channels for news of this event.

International Police Association Region 2 Northern Ireland, and Section Ireland.

Seminar on current Policing Issues.

Saturday 31st August 2024

09:30– 17:00

Garda College Templemore, Co Tipperary

9:30 Registration

Organised in a collaboration between IPA Section Ireland and Section UK (Region 2), this seminar explores the topics of WorkPlace Wellness, Offender Profiling, Geographic Profiling and Policing responces to the mental health crisis in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Tea, Coffee and lunch will be served .

9:45 Welcome Address

10:00 Work Place wellness

11:15 Coffee/Tea

11:30 Offender Profiling

This is a framework for developing and implementing a wellbeing programme with your police force.

This process ranges from predictive profiling to prioritisation strategies, behavioural case linkage analysis and enhanced support to familial DNA enquiries

13:00 Lunch

14:00 Geographic Profiling

this is a methodology used primarily to determine the most probable location of an unknown offender’s ‘anchor point” based on the location of the offences

15:30 Coffee/Tea

15:45 Policing responses to Mental Health Crisis in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

16:45 Closure

This panel discussion with deal with traditional police response to mental health distress cases and the evolution of the police response.