Welcome to the Cambridgeshire Branch of the
International Police Association.

New – Gimborn 2026 Seminars Announced
Click here to visit the Gimborn website to check out the 2026 seminars.

Members Meet New Cambs Chief
At the end of January Andy Sullivan and Steve Bretherton met with the new Cambridgeshire Constabulary Chief Constable, Simon Megicks.

Andy and Steve explained what the IPA can offer officers and staff and Simon kindly agreed to be our Branch Patron.

Regional Members Awarded Certificates
Sunday 18th January saw four members of Norfolk & Suffolk Branch awarded membership anniversary certificates at a lunch at the Olde Windmill Inn at Great Cressingham near Swaffham.

Members John Toombs, Richard Dennison and Peter Francis were awarded 30, 40 and 55 year membership anniversary certificates respectively by Branch Patron ACC Julie Dean.

In addition, Julie presented Mike Dixon with a certificate of appreciation for his assistance in running the branch for the past four years.

Congratulations to all concerned!

Shaping the Future of the IPA
In September this year regional members Aaron Seeley visited Gimborn.

Here’s Aaron’s account of his visit:

Earlier this month, I had the privilege of representing the UK at the Strategic Young Members’ Conference (SYMC), hosted at the historic Gimborn Castle in Germany. The seminar brought together officers from across the globe, with delegates travelling from Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Spain, Ireland, Lithuania, Estonia, Finland, Denmark, Greece, and even Japan.

The aim of the SYMC is clear: to encourage greater involvement of younger serving officers within the International Police Association, and to explore new ways of making the IPA attractive, relevant, and sustainable for the future.

Over two days, we took part in a range of interactive workshops and discussions. Topics included:

• Targeted communication in digital spaces – exploring how we can better reach younger audiences online. A key takeaway was the use of modern tools like ChatGPT to help shape engaging content for social media, ensuring our posts achieve the widest possible reach and resonate with the next generation of officers.
• Mentoring programmes – we learned about the innovative approach of IPA Ireland, who have introduced a mentoring scheme where young officers are trained in leadership and gain a recognised qualification to support their professional careers. These mentors then return to their respective regions as points of contact for younger officers, with a clear responsibility to reach out, guide, and encourage involvement. The scheme has already proven to be highly successful in growing engagement and fostering leadership skills.
• On Patrol schemes – strengthening opportunities for officers to spend time abroad, experiencing policing in another country.
• Study trips and exchanges – practical ways to foster professional growth and international friendship.

Having seen how other countries engage their younger officers, I want to bring that idea back to the UK. The plan is to have regional delegates who connect with younger members, feeding into a national liaison who represents us strategically. This way we can better share opportunities, gather feedback, and shape activities that are relevant to the next generation. Over time, and with support and funding, this structure could grow into a mentoring scheme similar to our Irish neighbours, helping to prepare young officers for leadership while strengthening the future of the IPA.

While the workshops were packed with ideas, the real heart of the conference came in the evenings. The castle bar quickly became a hub for open and honest discussions. Over a drink, we shared our stories and challenges – and despite coming from all corners of the world, it became clear that the job of a police officer is much the same everywhere. The same challenges, the same pressures, and the same shared sense of pride in service. Those conversations often carried just as much value as the official programme.

The social side of the SYMC also reminded us of one of the IPA’s greatest strengths: its ability to connect people as friends as well as colleagues. The bonds built at Gimborn Castle will not only encourage more exchanges through the On Patrol scheme but also create lasting friendships that stretch far beyond borders.

Coming away from the conference, I felt energised about the future of the IPA. The ideas we explored will now be taken back to our national sections, where they can be implemented to strengthen recruitment, engagement, and opportunities for young members. The message was clear: younger officers are the future of the IPA, and it is vital we get them involved, active, and excited about what the association has to offer.

The Strategic Young Members’ Conference showed just how much potential there is when we come together, share experiences, and look forward with ambition. With the support of all members, young and old, we can ensure that the IPA continues to grow and thrive for generations to come.

Regional Visit to London
The last regional visit of the year to London took place on Tuesday 7th October and included a visit to the Met Police stables at Great Scotland Yard and an evening at HM Tower of London to watch the Ceremony of the Keys.

An excellent tour of the stables was provided by PC Feltham and the poppies on display at the Tower added to the magic of the evening.

8 Region Hosts National Clay Shooting Competition
Cambridge Gun Club, 20 minutes north of Cambridge was the venue for this year’s National Clay Shooting competition held on Saturday 13^th September.  This was the second time that the event had been held at this venue but the conditions couldn’t have been more different to last time.  Back in October 2023 the weather was awful the day after Storm Babet struck.  This year we couldn’t have asked for better weather.

The event attracted members from a range of forces, including the RAF Police and from branches as far afield as Essex, Thames Valley and Warwickshire & Coventry.  While several people had shot before, most were complete novices, including the 10 year old daughter of one member.  

Regional secretary Steve Bretherton was delighted to present Cambridgeshire Branch member Andy Chatfield and BTP Branch member Bart Lubojemski with certificates and prizes for placing first in the expert and novice categories respectively.  

A collection by Thin Blue Line charity ambassador, Clive Wood at the end of the event raised £120. 

New Member Draw Winner
Congratulations to Alex Galan-Tarachiu, who was the winner in the free draw for members who joined 8 Region from 1st January to 30th June.
Alex wins a 2 night stay at the Civil Service Club in London.

Ceremony of the Keys Visit – July 2025
Branch members and friends enjoyed another great night at HM Tower of London on 1st July as guests of the Yeoman Warders.

As you can see from the gallery of photos below, the Tower once again has a display of poppies spilling out of the White Tower, past the ravens’ cages and into the Thames through Traitors’ Gate.

After a brief tour and potted history of the Tower from the Chief Yeoman Warder Paul Langley, we retreated to the Yeoman Warders club for refreshments before witnessing the ceremonial locking up of the Tower – world famous Ceremony of the Keys.

Branch Visit to Lisbon – May 2025

In May 2025 members from Cambs and Norfolk & Suffolk branches met up with IPA friends from Wolfsburg in Lisbon.

Staying at the Lisbon IPA House, members spent 5 days touring the sights of the city, venturing out to Sintra and Cascais and enjoying a night of Fado entertainment at the IPA House as guests of the local branch.

All in all another great IPA experience! Check out the gallery of photos.

Blue Walk around Cambridge
On Saturday 12th April 23 IPA members from around the country and guests enjoyed a walk around Cambridge guided by branch member Rebecca Bretherton. The walk was organised as part of the Blue Walks ’25 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Section UK.

Thankfully, the weather was kind and among other sights the participants saw the 11th Century Round Church, the Mathematical Bridge, the Corpus Clock, Trinity and St John’s College great gates, Emmanuel College Chapel, the Senate House and the Eagle Pub featuring the RAF Bar and its galleried courtyard.

At the same time another group of international visitors were enjoying the same tour guided by Rebecca’s husband, Steve.

IPA at Veterans Central, West Raynham, Norfolk
On 20th March Steve Conor, Andy Sullivan and Steve Bretherton attended the Veterans Central charity at West Raynham.

Veterans Central is a facility to support military and emergency services veterans and serving personnel and their families, as well as a hub for associated charities.

Many forces personnel go on to serve in the Police and other emergency services and on the day we spoke to several former police officers and spread the word about the IPA.

Regional Sunday Lunch
The next regional lunch will take place at Thorney Golf Club, near Peterborough on Sunday 27th April.

All members and family are warmly invited to attend. The club carvery is excellent and well priced.

To book your places please e-mail Steve Bretherton at steve.bretherton@icloud.com.

Walking Tour of Cambridge *** Fully booked ***
As part of the ‘Blue Walks 75’ series to celebrate the 75th anniversary of IPA Section UK Cambridgeshire Branch are hosting a guided walk around Cambridge on Saturday 12th April. The walk is free to all IPA members and their families.

For more information and details of the meeting place please e-mail Steve Bretherton.

Enrolment fee just £10 throughout 2025
We’re pleased to announce that to celebrate the 75th anniversary of IPA Section UK, new members can join for just £10 throughout 2025.

To find out more about the IPA and to submit on online application, visit the IPA National website.

February Branch Sunday Lunch
The next branch lunch will be held at 12.30pm on Sunday 23rd February at Thorney Golf Club, near Peterborough.

Book your places by e-mailing Steve Bretherton

IPA Stand at Force Open Door Event
Steve Palmer, Andy Sullivan and Steve Bretherton staffed an IPA stand at the Force Open Door Event held at Monks Wood on Tuesday 24th October to raise awareness about the IPA.

Friendship Visit to Bielsko-Biala
Five branch members visited our twinned branch in Bielsko-Biala, Poland for four days in October. In a packed visit IPA members from Cambs and Wolfsburg, Germany were taken to a castle in Grodziec, went 40m underground in a mining museum at Guido and visited the point where Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia meet.

Our thanks go to our wonderful hosts in Bielsko-Biala. To see all the photos from the visit, go to the gallery.

Branch Members Join Visit to London
At the beginning of September several members joined the Norfolk and Suffolk branch trip to London. As usual the visit included the Met Police Stables at Great Scotland Yard, next door to the Civil Service Club and an evening as guests of the Yeoman Warders at HM Tower of London to witness the Ceremony of the Keys.

This time however, we took a guided tour of the Royal Chelsea Hospital and were invited into the Chelsea Pensioners bar at the end of the tour.

Cambs Member Receives 60 Year Membership Award
At the branch Sunday lunch on 25th August, veteran IPA member, Alan Carter was presented with a 60 year membership certificate by Section UK President Clive Wood.

Congratulations Alan!

IPA Stand at Cambs Wellbeing Event
Cambridgeshire IPA Branch was represented at the Force Wellbeing Event held at Headquarters on 24th July.

Our message to members of Police Staff who visited our stand was that ‘YOU CAN JOIN TOO!’

Don’t forget that the ‘2 Together’ offer runs year round, so whether you’re a police officer or police staff, you can join the IPA with a buddy for just £20 each.

Prize Draw Winner Announced
The winner of the 2 night stay at the Civil Service Club in London has been announced – congratulations go to Glynis Dighton, who joined Cambridgeshire Branch together with her husband at a NARPO coffee morning in Cambridge in April this year.

24 hours in London
It’s surprising what you can squeeze into 24 hours in London. In May this year Cambridgeshire Branch members and friends packed in a visit to the Metropolitan Police Stables, the Ceremony of the Keys at HM Tower of London and a guided visit of the Royal Chelsea Hospital – phew!

We also managed to meet up with the President of IPA Australia – Jason Brewer – and his wife and invited them along to the Royal Chelsea Hospital.

Particular thanks go to Andy Sullivan and London Reception Officer Alex Williams for making all the arrangements and to Ivan, our guide at the Royal Chelsea Hospital.

Branch Member Presented with 55 Year IPA Certificate
At the branch Sunday lunch held on 25th February Chair Andy Sullivan had the pleasure of presenting Henry Philpot with a certificate to mark his 55 years of IPA membership.

Branch Members Join IPA Weekend in Pitlochry
At the end of January ’24 branch members Steve Bretherton and Phil Barnes joined IPA members from Austria, Sweden, the USA and across the UK for a weekend in Pitlochry.

Participants enjoyed a visit to the Blair Atholl distillery, 2 whisky tasting events, a folk night, gala evening, excellent food and of course a warm Scottish welcome.

And as a bonus Steve and Phil met the new International President, Martin Hoffman.

It’s hoped that next year’s event will take place in Kilkenny, Ireland.

Branch Visit to London
The branch has organised a 2 day visit to London on Tuesday 30th April and Wednesday 1st May this year, staying at the Civil Service Club (CSC) in Great Scotland Yard, Whitehall.

On Tuesday afternoon we’ve arranged a visit to the Metropolitan Police stables next door to the CSC. A visit to the witness the Ceremony of the Keys as guests of HM Yeoman Warders will follow on Tuesday evening and, after one of the best breakfasts in London at the club on Wednesday morning, we’ll have an escorted visit to Wellington Barracks to watch the Mounting of the Guard.

The cost of the night at the CSC is £154 B&B (per room) based on 2 sharing and a £5 donation to branch funds is requested in respect of the Ceremony of the Keys. To book your places please e-mail branch secretary Andy Sullivan at sullyandrew@aol.com
Note that places are limited.

Branch Sunday Lunch
The next branch Sunday lunch will be held at Thorney Golf Club near Peterborough at 12.30pm on 25th February.

Use the Contact Us menu option to book your place.

Branch AGM
All branch members are welcome to attend the branch AGM, which will be held by Zoom at 7pm on Monday 5th February.

A Zoom link will be circulated to members in advance of the meeting.

New IPA Promotional Video from Police TV
A new Section UK promotional video has recently been produced.
Shot over two visits to Bedfordshire Police HQ, the video includes contributions from Bedfordshire Chief Constable, Trevor Rodenhurst, President Clive Wood and Bedfordshire Branch members.

Click >>> here <<< to watch the video on YouTube.

8 Region Hosts the National Clay Shooting Competition
Cambridge Gun Club, just outside the village of Cottenham, was the venue for this year’s National Clay Shooting competition.  

On the day after Storm Babet struck, 25 IPA members, family and friends of all ages gathered in the warmth of the club café for the obligatory safety briefing.   

Fortified by a hot drink, and in many cases by a bacon baguette, participants then took to the training stands for the morning’s 20 practice shots.  Our coaches for the day were our very own President Clive Wood – a keen clay shooter, Julian Arnold and his son, Sam.  After lunch and with the weather turning decidedly soggy, participants returned to the stands and things got serious for the competition proper.   The competition comprised 10 clays from each of the three stands. 

Local honour was upheld when Andy Chatfield from Cambridgeshire Branch came second, pipped at the post by Brian Kimber after a ‘shoot off’ when both hit 21 out of 30 clays.  Both received vouchers to spend at Giles Marriott Ltd, a family gun business in Market Harborough.

Regional secretary Steve Bretherton was delighted to present Julian and Sam with certificates of appreciation for not only giving up their time but for their good humour, patience and excellent coaching throughout the day.  

The IPA and the event organisers would like to thank the event sponsors, Giles Marriott Ltd. The company provided several shotguns free of charge, shotgun cartridges at cost and £100 worth of prizes.  

Presidential Awards for NCM 2023 Work
At the branch Sunday lunch held at Thorney Golf Club on 24th September, branch member Stu Anderson and his wife, Lynne were awarded Presidential Awards signed by President Clive Wood in appreciation of their contribution to the region hosting this year’s National Council Meeting in Peterborough.

Congratulations Stu and Lynne!

24 Hours in London
It’s amazing what you can pack into 24 hours as members from Cambridgeshire & Norfolk and Suffolk Branches found out on a visit to London In September 2023.

Using the Civil Service Club as a base, members first visited the Metropolitan Police Stables at Great Scotland Yard, conveniently situated next door to the club. We were pleased to be joined by IPA visitors from Japan and Germany.

As you can see from the photos, members got up close to the horses and spent a very enjoyable hour with our hosts, Lucy and Emma.

After some free time and an early dinner we were once again hosted by the Yeoman Warders at the Tour of London to witness the Ceremony of the Keys. It’s always a privilege to be invited back to the Yeoman Warders bar – ‘The Keys’ – for some refreshments after the tour and this time was no exception.

We rounded off a wonderful 24hrs with a visit to the Palace of Westminster including Westminster Hall and both the Commons and Lords chambers.

Our thanks go to London Reception Officer Alex Williams along with the officers at GSY stables and HM Yeoman Warders for being so hospitable and giving freely of their time.

Branch Members Support the Suffolk Family Fun Day
Members Andy Sullivan and Steve Bretherton attended the Suffolk Police Family Fun Day on Sunday 3rd September to promote the IPA.

The police hats from around the world proved popular with kids and adults alike and Giacomo, our Carabinieri mannequin was a great draw as always.

National Clay Shooting Event
The IPA National Clay Shooting Event is being held in Cambridgeshire this year on 21st October.

The cost to branch members is just £30pp, which includes, gun hire, cartridges, clays, coffee and lunch.  . The event is being heavily subsidised for members from national and regional funds.

We’ll start with coffee on arrival at 11am, followed by a safety briefing and a 20 shot warm up. After a bacon baguette lunch there’ll be a 30 shot competition with prizes.

Children aged 10+ supervised by an adult are welcome as are non-members.  The cost for non-members is £60pp.

To book your place and for more information, please contact Steve Bretherton at steve.bretherton@icloud.com

Norfolk Police Family Day
On the hottest day of the year so far, members from Cambridgeshire Branch went over the border to staff an IPA stand at the Norfolk Police Family Day.

The day was a great success; we handed out over 20 information packs to prospective new members, we raised the profile of the IPA in the force among officers, staff and Specials and we sold almost all or stock of Bobby Bears.

Thanks to all concerned for their efforts on what was a very enjoyable (and hot!) day.

Peterborough Hosts the 2023 National Council Meeting
The first weekend of June saw our region host the National Council Meeting (NCM) at the Holiday Inn, Peterborough. The NCM is the IPA UK’s annual general meeting.

This year’s conference saw Cambridgeshire Branch member Steve Bretherton step down from the National Executive Committee (NEC) after 5 years and 3 new members elected to the NEC; Secretary General Spike Elliott, VP Professional Chris Duncombe and VP Socio-Cultural Karen Duckworth.

While delegates and observers from across the country attended the conference itself, partners were treated to a guided tour of Burghley House followed by lunch in the Orangery and some time in Stamford.

The weekend was rounded off by a Gala Dinner at which Chief Constable Nick Dean was the guest of honour alongside the IPA presidents of Sections Ireland, USA and Australia.

Over the course of the weekend participants raised over £1250 for our national charity – the Thin Blue Line and a cheque was presented to the charity’s representative, Beverley Adamson at the Gala Dinner.

Congratulations to the organising committee for arranging a magnificent NCM weekend.

Regional AGM 2023
This year’s regional AGM will be held at 11am on Wednesday 22nd March at the Crown P.H in Mundford near Thetford. Members can also join the meeting by Zoom.

All members are very welcome to attend. Tea and coffee will be provided on arrival and lunch is available (at members’ expense) following the meeting.

Did you know about the regional study bursary?
All IPA members in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Suffolk can apply for up to £100 to assist with costs towards. So, if you’re thinking of attending a seminar at Gimborn, not only can you apply for unto £250 (every two years) towards the seminar costs but you can also apply for the regional study bursary to offset your travel costs. The bursary needn’t be just for attending Gimborn, you can apply for financial assistance to attend any police related professional development course.

On the subject of Gimborn, if you’re a serving Cambridgeshire officer or member of staff, don’t forget that Chief Constable Nick Dean has agreed that you can claim half of your Gimborn course as working days.

Recruiting New Members
Over the past few weeks branch members have been busy attending police stations around the country promoting the IPA to student officers. Our aim is that every new police officer hears about the IPA before they leave the classroom.

We’ve also been attending passing out parades at Police HQ signing up new members and selling a variety of merchandise.

Awards for Branch Members
Congratulations go to Steve Palmer and Keith Wainwright, who both received their 30 year membership certificates from regional Chair, Andy Sullivan at the branch lunch on Sunday 27th November.

Remembrance Day Parade 2022
Members from Cambridgeshire and Norfolk & Suffolk Branches marched in the Remembrance Day Parade in London on Sunday 13th November this year.

This was the first time that members from IPA Section UK had marched in the parade representing the IPA.

Branch Friendship Break 2022
At the end of August Cambridgeshire Branch finally hosted 17 members and partners from branches in Wolfsburg in Germany, Carinthia in Austria and Bielsko-Biała in Poland. The visit had been planned for 2020 and then 2021 but you know what happened then…

Over 5 days our guests stayed at the Oliver Cromwell Hotel in March. Our friends enjoyed a day trip to Cambridge, a full day in London including a visit to the Tower of London to watch the Ceremony of the Keys and a visit to Sandringham House.

Throughout the visit the weather was kind to us and thankfully it stayed fine for the farewell BBQ, which rounded of the break in style.

Check out the photo gallery to see more shots from the Friendship Break.

Branch Member Attends London Twinning Event
When Alex Williams advertised an evening at the Civil Service Club in London to meet members of their twin town branch Steve Bretherton thought he’d go along.

22 members, family and friends from Faenza Branch were hosted in London for 4 days and this was the farewell event.

As well as a free drink on arrival, a buffet and being entertained by a magician (all for £10), several members of the Faenza Branch treated participants and passers by to a demonstration of traditional flag waving outside the club.

IPA Motorcycle Group Trip to Lowestoft.
On Friday 8^th July IPA members rode down and stayed at the Premier Inn in North Lowestoft. Together with Marcus King and new member Stephen Girling, a tour was organised on Saturday around Suffolk, taking in the David Silver Museum in Leiston (it’s hidden away on an Industrial estate as David Silver is a huge Honda spares stockists). Many models of Hondas from the early days and on are displayed as if new – no touching ! There were also three Hondas in Police colours. A trip to Aldeburgh via Thorpeness was next as you just have to go there don’t you ! for lunch. A great country road trip followed along Suffolk lanes, getting back to Lowestoft (via the lovely St Olaves to Somerleyton road, in time for Tea).

Sunday’s trip was arranged by Trevor Smith and visited Nelsons Column in Great Yarmouth (Really referred to as the Britannia Tower or correctly ‘The Norfolk Naval Pillar’)  it also now resides on an Industrial park ! It was built 20 years before the famous London landmark, so perhaps it’s the ‘real’ one ! 

Keeping to B roads to avoid traffic, we continued up the coast and to North Walsham Motorcycle Museum. Not so pristine as David Silver, but everything motorcycle is jammed in there somewhere !

A couple of stops were made, the last being at County School Station where a nice café supplied refreshments as we sat out of the sun. This station will eventually be incorporated into the private Wymondham to Dereham heritage line.

Circling through South Norfolk, back to Lowestoft and a visit to the most Easterly point in the UK. (Oddly enough behind another Industrial estate !). With two evening  meals arranged by Marcus at an Indian and next a Chinese, there was something for everyones tastes. 

Lastly, and who I must credit for the photographs, our tail gunner Steve Lovegrove, keeping the other traffic off our convoy, on both trips with his Trike. 

Branch Members Visit the Tower
On Tuesday 14th June branch members visited HM Tower of London as guests of the Yeoman Warders to witness the Ceremony of the Keys – the ceremonial locking up of the Tower at the end of each day.

As you can see The Keys bar now sports an al fresco option. Members and guests were happy to support the raffle in support of charities supported by the Yeoman Warders and one of our group won a handsome moment of his visit.

8 Region members attend the National Council Meeting
This year’s National Council Meeting (NCM) was held over the weekend of 10th -12th June at the Double Tree Hotel in Lincoln.

This was very much a working weekend with delegate meetings taking place on the Friday afternoon before the annual conference on Saturday.

Regional chairman Andy Sullivan, secretary Stuart Anderson and treasurer Steve Palmer were joined by Norfolk and Suffolk Branch member, John Toombs, as the official regional observer.

Representing the region, Andy, Stuart and Steve voted in elections to two positions on the National Executive Committee (NEC) and on a series of motions to extend membership to a range of other police and security agencies. More information about the changes to IPA membership will be provided in the next edition of Police World.

But it wasn’t all work and the Gala Evening on Saturday gave everyone a chance to dress up .

Steve Palmer, who was awarded Honorary Life membership in 2020, took the opportunity to be re-presented with his certificate by President Clive Wood ring the conference.

Congratulations once again Steve!

Next year’s NCM will be held in Peterborough from 2nd – 4th June. We’ll need plenty of help to make the weekend run smoothly and we welcome any offers of help from all members of the region. If you’d like to volunteer your services for some or all of the weekend, please contact Andy Sullivan at sullyandrew@aol.com

Sunday Lunches Restart
The next lunch will be held at 1pm on Sunday 1st May at Thorney Golf Club, English Drove, Thorney, Nr. Peterborough
PE6 0TJ.  The 19th Hole club house carvery is excellent and very good value for money.

To book your Sunday lunch places please e-mail Steve Bretherton using the “Contact Us” link.  You will be allocated a booking reference, which will serve to confirm your booking.

Members take a tour of Kings Lynn
On 7th April members from Cambridgeshire Branch joined members from Norfolk & Suffolk Branch for a walking tour of historic Kings Lynn.

Guided by member, John Toombs, members learned about the history of the town and took in the historic buildings along the quay including the Thorseby College, the Hanse House, the Custom House, St George’s Town Hall and the Minster. After the walk members enjoyed an excellent meal at The Wenns on Tuesday Market Place. Many thanks to John for researching and guiding an excellent tour.

Certificate of Merit for Branch Auditor
On 17th March Steve Palmer, Cambs Branch and Region 8 Treasurer and Andy Sullivan, Cambs Branch Secretary and Regional Chair presented our auditor , James Francis, with a certificate of appreciation for his 15 years plus auditing Branch and Region accounts.

Auditors are always hard to find especially one that’s done it for so long . A HUGE thank you from Branch and Region .

Broads Caravan Rally
The Broads Caravan Rally was held again this year in Ludham Norfolk organised by Steve and Lynn Palmer. Able assisted by John and Sue Timson. At first it was not certain what could take place due to Covid but as it turned out to be a complete success.

Various events were organised on the rally field. These involved Afternoon Tea prepared by the Ladies, A quiz evening and buffet put on by Norfolk and Suffolk Branch. And a cunning Walking Treasure Hunt organised by John.

Skittles were provided by Mick Meggs which were very popular. A must at any rally was the BBQ, meat having been sourced from the local butcher. There was also a trip out on The Broads on the Paddle Steamer Southern Comfort. Although wet at times the scenery and wildlife were wonderful to see. A day in Cromer culminated in a visit to the famous Cromer End of The Pier Show. This was very entertaining.

There were 24 units attended the rally over the two week period. Everyone went home having had a great time and looked forward to a repeat performance in two years time.

Regional Socials Restart
8 Region is pleased to resume our friendly weekly regional socials. The socials take place by Zoom (of course!) at 11am each Thursday. The get togethers last for around an hour but you’re welcome to drop in for as long as you like for a chat and the occasional quiz.

Crossing Borders Seminars 2022
The IPA Crossing Borders seminars in 2021 provided a glimpse into policing styles abroad, featuring presentations from officers in France, the USA and Germany.

The 2022 Crossing Borders Seminar Series starts at 8pm on Wednesday 12th January with presentations on Disaster Victim Identification and the Grenfell Tower Enquiry.

A week later at 8pm on Wednesday 19th January Keith Surtees, a retired MPS Commander and former deputy senior national coordinator for counter terrorism will give a presentation on Operation Kenova – the historic investigations into the troubles in Northern Ireland

National Wine and Quiz Evenings
After a break for Christmas and the New Year, the popular Wine Evenings and National IPA quizzes are back.

Wine evenings take place at 7.30pm on the first Tuesday of the month and the quiz evenings are held on the second Saturday of the month.

VP Yvonne McGregor is our host for both events and Zoom links and meeting information can be obtained from her or Steve Bretherton. Use the Contact Us button to ask for more information or links to next month’s events.

Gimborn 2022 Seminars Announced
The flagship IPA educational establishment – Gimborn, near Cologne, has just published the list of seminars for 2022. Click on the link to download your copy.

English language seminars include The Potentials of Virtual Reality Policing, Disaster & Crisis Management, Environmental Crimes and Missing People.

Remember that Section UK members can claim up to £250 every two years towards the cost of attending a seminar. In addition, Cambridgeshire Branch members can apply for a bursary worth up to £100 to assist with the cost of travel.

For more information about Gimborn click here to go to the national web site.

Regional Pumpkin Competition Winners Announced
The regional pumpkin competition was launched as a bit of fun during lockdown earlier this year. All members of the region were offered two free pumpkin seeds with the aim of seeing who could grow the biggest pumpkin by the end of October.

The winners were determined by their circumference – the pumpkins that is, not the members! And the 3 winners were:

1st – Steve Bretherton
2nd – Stuart Anderson
3rd – Steve Palmer

Congratulations to the winners and thanks to all those who entered into the spirit of the competition. As for next year? Sunflowers perhaps…

60 Year Membership Certificate Awarded to Regional Member
On Monday 25th October Steve Bretherton, Secretary-General and Andy Sullivan, Chair of Region 8, had the great pleasure of presenting a 60 Year Membership Certificate to  Norfolk and Suffolk Branch member Caroleen Michallat .

Caroleen joined  Lancashire Constabulary in 1959 and then joined the IPA in 1961 for” the social side of the Police”. Caroleen  spent 32 yrs as a police officer, serving 23yrs in uniform.

During her service Caroleen worked in Lancashire Constabulary, Cheshire Constabulary and Manchester City Police before finally retiring from Greater Manchester Police in 1992. 

Law, Order & Disaster – murder, death and the total destruction of St. Ives
How could anyone resist a walking tour with such a magnificent title?

And so on 25th August guided by retired Cambs police officer, Richard Carter, branch members spent an enjoyable morning learning about the grizzly side of St Ives’ history.

Highlights included two plane crashes, a drowning, a murder/suicide and the demolition of a good part of the centre of St Ives.

Thanks to Richard for a fascinating and entertaining tour. We hope to join Richard for his History of St Ives tour in the Spring.

Next Branch Meeting – Monday 2nd August
The next branch meeting will be held by Zoom at 7pm on Monday 2nd August and all branch members on e-mail will be sent a link to the meeting.

All members are welcome to attend and submit items for the agenda by using the ‘Contact Us’ menu option.

Branch Sunday Lunches Resume
The branch committee are delighted to announce that the bi-monthly Sunday lunches are resuming this month.

The next lunch will be held at Thorney Golf Club, English Drove at 1pm on Sunday 29th August.

The venue is large and airy and the hot buffet is worth travelling for – as is meeting up with friends and members!

To book your place please e-mail Steve Bretherton at steve.bretherton@icloud.com

Branch Members Receive Awards
Two branch members were recently presented with well-deserved awards.

Regional chair Andy Sullivan was pleased to present Lawrence Wright with a Certificate of Appreciation in recognition of his many years of service in support of Cambridgeshire Branch.

And at the Regional Social held on 26th February Branch and Regional Treasurer Steve Palmer proudly presented a Certificate of Appreciation to none other than his wife, Lynn. Lynn has produced a quiz in support of the regional socials since they began early in the first lockdown.

Thanks go to both Lawrence and Lynn for their Service through Friendship to members of the IPA.

Regional Pumpkin Competition
Members across East Anglia have been personally invited to take part in a regional Pumpkin Growing Competition.

Every member who enters will be sent two free seeds of the same variety of pumpkin. The competition will run until around mid-October and the winning pumpkin will be the one with the largest circumference.  

There’s no entry fee and the prizes will be £25, £15 and £10 for first second and third places. Have a bit of fun and enter the competition. If nothing else you won’t have to buy a pumpkin come Halloween!

Regional Socials
We hold a Regional Social meeting every Thursday at 11am. Socials usually last around 45 minutes to an hour but feel free to pop in for as long as you wish.  If you didn’t join us during the first lockdown, why not drop in this time around and join local members for a chat over a cuppa?

Get togethers take place by Zoom and a link is sent to all regional members a day or two beforehand. If you’d like to join us and haven’t received an e-mail please e-mail Steve Bretherton.

Branch AGM
The branch AGM was held on Monday 1st February. All the members of the branch executive volunteered to stand again and were unopposed. Lawrence Wright stood down from the twin posts of NARPO and BTP rep after holding both posts for many years.

The branch executive for 2021 is:

Chair – Phil Barnes
Vice-Chair – Stu Anderson
Treasurer – Steve Palmer
Secretary – Andy Sullivan

Click here to see the dates of branch meeting in 2021.

Family History Group
The national Family History Group is now well established. The group committee recently met to discuss the timing and frequency of meetings. It was decided to hold two meetings per month, one for beginners and one for all.

Meetings are held by Zoom on the first Wednesday of the month for all and the third Wednesday of the month for beginners (no beginners meeting in December due to the festive season) both at 7pm.

December National Pub Quiz
The latest national IPA Pub Quiz was held on Sunday 6th December.
The date of the January quiz will be announced shortly. Everyone is welcome. The quiz lasts around an hour and there’s a prize for the winner.

To enter please contact Yvonne McGregor for the Zoom meeting code. Yvonne can be contacted by e-mail at VPMcgregor@ipa-uk.org

Family History Group
It has been decided to set up an IPA Family History Group, which is open to all members whatever their experience and knowledge of the subject. So, if you’re an absolute beginner and would like to know how to get started or if you’re experienced and seeking to broaden your knowledge and skills the new group welcomes you.

Around 40 members with a range of experience have expressed an interest in joining the group to date and an informal Zoom meeting was held at the end of July.

Members wishing to know more or join the group should contact Andy Wright at andy.wright606@btinternet.com

Lock Down Coffee Mornings
Even though Lock Down is easing, we’re continuing to hold our popular regional coffee mornings each Thursday at 11am by Zoom.

Most coffee mornings last 30-40 minutes but you can drop in and pop out of the meeting when you like.

All regional members on e-mail will receive a link to the coffee morning. All you have to do is put the kettle on, find the biscuits, click the link and have a chat.

Branch Member Awarded Honorary Life membership
The branch committee are delighted to announce that member Steve Palmer was awarded Honorary Life Membership by President Clive Wood last week.

Steve, has been the Cambridgeshire Branch treasurer since 2000 and is one of the longest serving regional treasurers. As well as looking after the branch and regional finances Steve is also the branch welfare officer.

Steve was a core member of the organising committee for the branch Friendship Weeks in 2014 and 2020 and of the regional team that organised the National Council Meetings in 2004 and 2011.  

Steve is truly an ambassador of the IPA and someone who the branch committee consider epitomises the spirit of Friendship on which the IPA is built.

Congratulations Steve!

Message from the International President

‘Dear friends,

The whole world has been affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and most countries have taken drastic measures to slow down the spread of the virus, including national borders being partially or completely closed, travelling forbidden or strongly advised against, gatherings of all kind prohibited and many other measures affecting our daily life, our habits, our customs, and sometimes our happiness. The forecast as to when the pandemic will end and everyone’s lives will get back to normal is at present still unclear, and the likelihood is that the coronavirus might continue to affect us for many more months.

While our health authorities and staff are having to cope with an enormous work load and stress, the pressure on the security forces is also extremely high, as they are at the forefront of assisting their governments in putting measures in place and encouraging and ensuring the population respects these.

Many of our fellow IPA members are affected, most IPA activities and events of the next few months have been cancelled or postponed, and many of you are right now exhausted from your daily challenges and worried about your family and friends. Despite all these uncertainties, we can rest assured that the IPA’s core value, Friendship, will be there throughout this difficult time for all of us.

Friendship is the cement of our association, of our members, and we will be an even stronger association after surmounting the adversities we are facing at the moment. Let us stand united and strong as one throughout this hard time and help those who are affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as much as we can.

I seize this opportunity to pay a very special tribute to all police officers who are working tirelessly, at the forefront, in order to fight this pandemic. They are living proof that guardian angels also wear blue!

Many of our colleagues have been infected, some have fallen. Let’s keep them all in our thoughts and be at their side.

Dear friends, stay safe, and I hope to see you soon at the end of this tunnel.

Servo per Amikeco,

Pierre-Martin Moulin, IPA President

Coronavirus Update
In light of the Coronavirus outbreak all branch trips and events are cancelled until further notice. However, we’re a Friendship organisation at heart, so even though we won’t be physically meeting up our branch meetings will still go ahead as scheduled using the Zoom online video conferencing application.

We’d like as many members as possible to join us for our next branch meeting, which will start at 7pm on Monday 6th April. If you haven’t used Zoom before, it’s free and you don’t have to sign up. The meeting code will be circulated to all branch members a day or so before the meeting. All you have to do is click on the link to the meeting in the e-mail and you’re in. If you’d like to find out more about Zoom, give it a try or register (if you want), just go to https://zoom.us

2020 Branch Events
Planning is well underway for our iconic 2020 event – our International Friendship Break. We’ll be hosting up to 36 participants from the branches across Europe with whom we have strong links – Wolfsburg in Germany, Mittelkarten in Austria and Bielska-Biala in Poland. Check out the photos of our last ‘Best of British’ Friendship break in 2014 in the Galleries section.

In addition, we have a full calendar of events being planned for 2020, including an Escape Room evening, an evening slot car racing, several visits to the Ceremony of the Keys, bi-monthly Sunday lunches and more. Full details of our spring events and trips will be announced shortly.

Finally, while Christmas 2020 is a way off yet, we’re planing a visit to the Christmas Markets in Krakow, Poland from 26-29 November. Here’s a selection of photos taken by one of our members at the 2019 Christmas markets. If you’re interested in joining us, please register your interest with Steve Bretherton at steve.bretherton@icloud.com

What’s been going on recently?
Check out below some the events that we’ve run in the past few months.

A little over 40 years ago…
Cambridgeshire Branch hosted a party of Dutch IPA members as recalled by Lawrence Wright in this article from The Peterborough Evening Telegraph.

November 2019 – Branch Member presents IPA Whistles in Poland

On a recent visit to Krakow, Poland, branch secretary Andy Sullivan presented engraved IPA whistles to friends Richard from IPA Krakow and Darek from IPA Silesia.

November 2019 – Ceremony of the Keys
Tuesday 19th November saw 18 branch members and friends at HM Tower of London for our final visit of the year to the Ceremony of the Keys.

We’ll be arranging several visits to the Tower in 2020, so if you missed an opportunity to go this year look out for our 2020 Branch Trips and Events programme coming shortly.

IPA Stand at November Passing Out Parade
Thanks go to Roger Bates, Chris Burns and Claire Beck for assisting Andy Sullivan staff the IPA stand at the Passing Out Parade at HQ on 18th November.

While at HQ Andy also took the opportunity to furnish the new IPA cabinet outside the Chief’s office with a collection of items showcasing our links with IPA Wolfsburg in Germany.

October 2019 – Las Vegas Mass Shooting Seminar a Great Success
Around 250 Officers from across the world, came together in North Yorkshire over 2 days to learn lessons from this horrendous 2017 incident delivered by a highly skilled subject matter expert and fellow IPA member. Making sure we’re as knowledgeable as possible and planning for the future! 

Organiser and York Branch member, David Hunter, presented his friend and colleague from the USA with a unique gold IPA whistle in gratitude for his time and effort.

Well done to David for organising this event. Thomas Cook going bust didn’t help David’s stress levels when he had to find alternative flights for his friend at very short notice!

October 2019 – IPA Sets Out its Stall at Passing Out Parades
Cambridgeshire Branch members now attend passing out parades and attestations at Police HQ to promote the IPA. Recruits have the opportunity to learn about the IPA and join up and everyone can buy a moment of the day – Bobby Bears are particularly popular!

October 2019 – Branch Represented at the Craft Copper Event
The first Crafy Copper weekend was held at IPA HQ in Nottingham in late October and attracted members with a wide variety of interests and skills.
These included writing, crafting and bonsai, while branch member and beekeeper Steve Bretherton showed off some of the tools of his trade along with the products of his (or rather the bees!) labour.

October 2019 – Branch Member Presents IPA Whistle to Gimborn Director
Branch member Steve Bretherton visited Gimborn in October to attend a seminar on the use of VR technology to train Emergency Services Personnel.

The seminar began with an explanation of the different types of VR and included a demonstration of a £10K laser scanner to produce a point cloud image. Participants from the UK, Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Romania and Slovenia had the opportunity to try out different types of VR headsets and get hands on with the technology. VR simulations included inspecting an arson crime scene, a stop check firearms scenario, a murder scene and to lighten the mood, a VR visit to Cologne Cathedral.

While at the seminar Steve took the opportunity to present the Director of Gimborn with one of the new IPA ACME whistles.

For more information about Gimborn visit https://www.ipa-uk.org/Gimborn

Police Whistles now available
Section UK has teamed up with ACME Whistles is Birmingham to offer members the chance to buy their Metropolitan police whistles at at discounted price. These are available through the IPA shop for £10 or £13 inc P&P with the presentation box.

Each whistle is finely engraved with the IPA roundel and the words ‘Section UK’. These whistles are only available through the IPA. To order your whistle just call IPA HQ on 0115 981 3638 or e-mail mail@ipa-uk.org

Monks Wood IPA Display Gets a Make-Over

At the beginning of August the IPA display at Monks Wood was given a make-over. Our mannequins, ‘Marks’ and ‘Spencer’ were joined by a selection of police caps from around the world.

From left to right the hats are from – Germany, France, Austria, Spain and Ireland.

Branch Member Awarded Honorary Life Membership

Congratulations to Lawrence Wright, who was awarded Honorary Life Membership at this year’s National Council Meeting.

Lawrence was given the award in recognition of his tireless efforts to recruit new members to the IPA.

The photos show Regional Chair, Andy Sullivan receiving the award on Lawrence’s behalf from President Clive Wood and Andy in turn presenting the award to Lawrence.

June 2019 – Visit to the Museum of Armed Policing

The recently opened Museum of Armed Policing threw open its doors to welcome members from Cambridgeshire IPA on Wednesday 12th June.

The museum, which traces the history of armed policing in the UK, incorporates a laser shooting range for visitors to test their skills. The guided visit lasted about 2 hours.

The branch committee would like to pass on their thanks to Mark Williams for an entertaining and informative visit.

The branch intend to run another trip to the museum in the nest few months. Anyone interested in attending should contact Andy Sullivan at sullyandrew@aol.com

April 2019 – Visit to Peterborough Energy Recovery Facility
12 Cambridgeshire IPA and Whittlesey Lions visited the Energy Recovery facility in Peterborough on 3rd April.

After signing us in and watching a health and safety video our guide to the facility, Natasha (in the green hat above), explained that this wasn’t the recycling centre(!) but it was where all the non-recyclable waste in Peterborough is burned to provide electricity for 16,000 homes.

After donning PPE our tour of the 2 storey building began on second floor control room from where an operator, looking through a large window, uses a huge claw to turn the waste and dump 85,000 tons each year into a hopper that constantly feeds the furnace.

A visit to the turbine room on the 1st floor followed on. Unfortunately we didn’t get to see the end byproduct – the ash – but the process of recycling it and the captured particulates in the gases generated by the burning was explained to us.

Our thanks for another great branch visit go to the organiser, Steve Palmer and to our guide, Natasha.

October 18 – Wolfsburg Member hosted in March
Members had a chance to say hello to our good friend Martin Muller from Wolfsburg during October.  Martin had a few days leave spare and decided he’d like to visit Cambridgeshire.

In just 3 days Martin and his hosts managed to squeeze in a day and a half in London, visiting the Cutty Sark, London Bridge, the
Greenwich observatory and a few watering holes in the City of
London, a visit to Peterborough Cathedral to see Tim Peake’s space capsule, a visit to Oxburgh Hall and he still had time to enjoy a curry with branch friends in March – phew!

September 2018 – Branch Visit to Bielsko-Bilaia
Twelve branch members and partners once again visited Bilesko-Biala in south west Poland in September.

In a packed five days we visited the Bochnia salt mine, toured the castle in Bielsko, met with and discussed police crowd control tactics with academics from Bielsko University, enjoyed a BBQ in a hunters lodge in the forest, toured the brand new police station and met the Chief of Police and met the deputy mayor.

Oh, I nearly forgot, we also enjoyed a cable car ride into the near by mountains and a walk through the forests to see the splendid views and a well deserved beer at the top.

Welcome to the Cambridgeshire Branch of the International Police Association.

What’s in it for me?
If you like what you see below, click here to find out more about what the IPA can offer.

Forthcoming Events
Check out below the events we’re running this year.  For more information either click on the link, where available, or use the
‘Contact Us’ button.

Branch Photo Competition Winners announced
2019 Meeting Dates Published

What’s been going on recently?
Check out below some the events that we’ve run in the past few months.