IYG youth visit
A group of 48 young people, all aged between 15-18, were guests of the Australian Federal Police and ACT Policing in Canberra for two days last week, as part of the International Police Association (IPA)-organised Australian visit.
The visitors, mostly sons and daughters of serving police officers around the world, are touring Australia as part of an International Youth Gathering (IYG).
The IPA is an international alliance between police associations which has around 375,000 members across 62 countries. It is a friendship organisation with membership open to any serving or retired police officer regardless of race, religion, politics or rank.
Each year the IYG is held in a different country and this is the first time Australia has been the host, with various state and territory police jurisdictions providing logistical support. During the IYG visit to Canberra, ACT Policing was the host party.
The teenagers, from 20 countries around the world including Denmark, Slovenia, Norway, Israel, Hungary and Canada, were guests aboard AFP vessels during a visit to SRS Water Operations on Friday morning (July 25).
Later that day, two representatives from the group, Bogdan Nesculescu, from Romania, and Katrine Janniche, from Denmark, together with Tasmanian police officer Mike Barber, who was one of the group’s supervisors, were interviewed live on ABC Radio 666 about the highlights of their trip so far.
On Saturday morning (July 25) in a gathering at the Australian Police Memorial by the shores of Lake Burley Griffin, the Chief Police Officer for the ACT, Assistant Commissioner Mike Phelan officially welcomed the group to Canberra.
It was a colourful occasion, made memorable and photogenic for the visitors through the presence of a number of Traffic Operations cars and motorcycles, the AFP ceremonial mounted cadre and the AFP Pipes and Drums.
