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| Sunday, 27 March 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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International Police Association Chief calls for : Professional Dignity by Ananth Palakidnar
Michael Odysseos, Chief of the International Police Association says all efforts must be taken to maintain the dignity of the police force, as it is the force which safeguards civil society around the clock. "It is a pity to see the police force in several developing countries being misused by politicians in power, especially where the maintaining of law and order are concerned," says the man who was at one time, the chief of Cyprus police. Odysseos heads the International Police Association which has a membership of around 3,60,000 from sixty countries."Sri Lanka joined the IPA in 1974 and still remains very active with a membership of seven hundred retired and serving policemen of all ranks.Sri Lanka has a strong membership in the South East Asian region which is even more than Japan," he points out. The International Police Association was founded in Britain in 1950,with the motto `Service through Friendship'. The Constitution and the functions of the association were worked out on the basis of the resolutions adopted by the United Nations.
The first Congress of the International Police Association was held in Paris in September 1955, with six European countries-France, Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and Ireland joining the association.Since then it has grown into an up global forum with 360,000 members from 60 countries. According to Odysseos, the prime objectives of the IPA include standing by the police forces around the world in maintaining law and order, safeguarding Human Rights,promoting cultural and social activities, providing opportunities for young policemen of all ranks in attending training programmes, organising holiday facilities for police families at affordable prices and helping police families affected by natural disasters. The IPA chief was in Sri Lanka last week to look into the grievances of police families affected by the tsunami. According to Odysseos, nineteen police families have lost their kith and kin and 104 homes have been completely destroyed. Zulfika Sarah, a seventeen year old girl from Hambantota who sat for her G.C.E. Ordinary level examination, last year, lost her police sergeant father Jiffrey, mother, elder sister grand parents and uncle to the tsunami. Zulfika was in hospital for more than a month recovering from the shock of losing her family and the injuries caused by the tsunami. T. M. J. Batcha, a 37-year-old Sub-Inspector from the Bambalapitiya police station lost his life along with that of his wife, two sons aged six and three, while holidaying in Hambantota. A woman police Sub Inspector lost her husband and a constable lost his wife. These were some of the losses suffered by police personnel brought to the notice of the IPA chief who was very much disturbed by the devastation. He pledged the Association's support to the affected families. "Sri Lanka is the only IPA member country, affected by the recent tsunami. When the IPA got to know about the disaster, appeals were made to its member countries immediately for donations.
Around 50 to 60,000 US dollars were collected by February 15.The IPA in Austria, which has a 35 thousand strong membership has come forward to build a police village in Sri Lanka to provide homes for police families affected by the tsunami.The IPA in coordination with its Sri Lankan chapter will work out plans to help the children of police families orphaned by the tsunami.The IPA would give priority to Zulfika,who has lost her sergeant father, mother, sister and most of her immediate family members reveals Odysseos. He also points out that this is not the first time the IPA has extended a helping hand to the police families affected by natural disasters. "In 1993 when Solvania was devastated by an earthquake, six police families lost their houses completely. The IPA helped those police families to rebuild their houses. In 1998 the cyclone El-nino devastated Peru. Five police members lost their lives. They were members of the IPA and the association assisted the families of those men. Two years ago, when the river Danube ran amok in central Europe, thousands of police families from Austria, Germany, and the Czech Rebublic were badly hit by the floods. The IPA appealed to its member countries for donations, and rendered its support to the police families affected by the Danube floods in Europe" he says enumerating the humanitarian deeds of the Association. He says that the IPA also helps its individual members who suffer from serious illnesses and require expensive medical treatment. Odysseos who had joined the Cyprus police force as a constable rose to the top-most position gradually, coming up in his ranks.Retiring after 41 years of service he joined the International Police Association in 1982.He was the founder of the IPA in Cyprus in 1987. In 2000 Odysseos was elected as the IPA chief and since then he has been playing an active role in making the IPA an effective world body. Expressing his views on the functions of the police forces in various parts of the world, Odysseos says that a large number of accusations against the police forces have surfaced mainly from Third World countries, which lack political and economic stability. "If you take Cyprus, a police constable is paid a monthly salary of US dollars 2000. In European and other developed countries, police personnel are well paid and well looked after in order to maintain the dignity of their profession. However, in Third World countries, the police forces are often accused of bribery, corruption and of Human Rights violations. The salaries of policemen in these countries are less than US dollars 200. Therefore it would be difficult to expect professional dignity from policemen of these countries," Odysseos points out. He also points out, that a twenty first century policeman should be well equipped to cope with the hi-tech era. "Criminals these days are well trained in handling electronic gadgets and they are capable of committing any kind of crime without a trace. So the police forces should be modernised, well-trained and equipped with hi-tech machinery to overcome the criminals," he says. Elaborating further, on training the cops, Odysseos says that in Gimborn, Germany the IPA has set up its own training institute to train police personnel from IPA member countries, and that around fifty training programmes are conducted at the Institute annually. "The Gimborn institute provides opportunities for policemen from various countries to train themselves with hi-tech equipment and exchange ideas and experiences with each other," he points out. He also stresses that the relationship between the police and civilians, should be very cordial in maintaining law and order. "Governments should not use the police forces to fulfil their political aspirations. The Police force, should be allowed to function independently without interference of politicians and bureaucrats. On the other hand, the police personnel of all ranks should also do their best to maintain professional dignity. They should not be lackeys to individuals for sponsorship or for any favours. They must make sure that when they need any assistance, they should tap reputed institutions which do not expect anything in return from the police. The International Police Association is the body which has dedicated itself to enhance the professional dignity of the police forces worldwide. And according to the IPA chief, the International Police Association of Sri Lanka is in his good books, with its enthusiastic particapation in IPA activities.
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