International Police Association
Professional services
UnclaimedThe International Police Association is a worldwide fraternal and professional organization connecting active and retired police personnel through international friendship, cooperation, education, and cultural exchange.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The International Police Association (IPA) is a worldwide fraternal organization for active-duty and retired police personnel. It was founded in 1950 by Arthur Troop, a police officer from Lincolnshire, England, with the purpose of building relationships among members of the police service across national, cultural, professional, and social boundaries. Its Esperanto motto, “Servo per Amikeco,” means “Service Through Friendship.” The association emphasizes inclusion without distinction based on rank, position, gender, race, language, or religion. The IPA developed initially through the growth of national sections in Western Europe. Its first formal expansion outside Europe took place in 1961, when Canada and Hong Kong were affiliated at a World Congress. Later that year, Kenya became the first African section to affiliate. This international structure remains central to the organization: national sections and local branches organize member activities, while the international body coordinates cooperation, professional programs, cultural exchanges, and worldwide governance. The association’s stated aims include strengthening friendship among police-service members, encouraging international cooperation in social, cultural, and professional fields, supporting peaceful coexistence, contributing to the preservation of world peace, improving the public image of policing, and gaining recognition from international institutions. The IPA follows the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and holds consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council. It also has consultative relationships with the Organization of American States and UNESCO. The IPA is not a commercial consumer brand. Its principal value lies in membership, professional networking, international hospitality, educational opportunities, and community-building. National sections arrange friendship weeks, cross-border visits, accommodation through IPA Houses and other hosting arrangements, sports events, cultural programs, and professional exchanges. The association also operates or supports structured development initiatives, including the Young Police Officers’ Seminar, Arthur Troop Scholarships, and the International Learning and Development Exchange Program. Education is represented prominently by the International Education and Conference Center at Gimborn Castle in Germany. Commonly known as IBZ Gimborn, the center hosts seminars, conferences, and professional meetings and is regarded within the association as a flagship facility. The IPA also holds a World Congress, hosted by different national sections, where members review the organization’s work and establish future priorities. By 2023, the association reported more than 372,000 members in nearly 100 countries, with 65 affiliated national sections. Its international administration is overseen by an eight-member International Executive Board elected by the membership at the World Congress for four-year terms. Three commissions support the board: International Relations, Professional, and Socio-Cultural. Through this federated model, the IPA combines a global identity with locally organized activities for police personnel and their families.
History
The International Police Association was created in the United Kingdom in 1950 by Arthur Troop, a Lincolnshire Police officer. Before the organization was formally established, Troop wrote an article in the British Police Review in 1949 under the pseudonym “Aytee.” His central idea was that police personnel could build practical and durable international relationships through personal friendship, regardless of rank or national origin. The association was formally established on 1 January 1950 and adopted the Esperanto motto “Servo per Amikeco,” translated as “Service Through Friendship.” Troop served first as secretary general of the British section and subsequently as the organization’s first international secretary general. He left the international post in 1966 for personal reasons that were not specified in the cited material. During its early years, the IPA expanded quickly across Western Europe. Its founders and early leaders aimed to establish sections in as many countries as possible, creating a network that could support personal contacts, visits, and professional understanding among police personnel. The association’s first major expansion beyond Europe occurred in 1961. Canada and Hong Kong were affiliated at the organization-wide World Congress held on 16 March of that year. At the third World Congress, held in Stuttgart in September 1961, Kenya became the first African section to affiliate. These developments established the model of an international association composed of national sections, rather than a single centralized police body. The organization gradually broadened its internal representation. In 1982, Phyllis Nolan of Ireland became the first woman elected to the international executive board. She later served as president of the IPA’s Irish section and as international vice president. Her election represented a step toward greater gender representation in the association’s international leadership. As membership and the number of sections grew, the IPA also professionalized its administration. In 1986, its leadership decided that the organization required permanent full-time staff; until then, administrative responsibilities had moved between national sections. In 1987, a permanent international administration center was established at the Nottingham headquarters of the United Kingdom section. Ken Robinson became its first chief executive officer after having supported the association voluntarily for many years. A second institutional development was the creation of the International Education and Conference Center at Gimborn Castle in Germany. The center, commonly referred to as IBZ Gimborn, was founded on 25 October 1969 by a group including Günter Kratz, Hans Jansen, and Theo Leenders. They arranged to rent the castle from Baron von Fürstenberg and began converting the main building and a disused local primary school for educational use. Early seminars were held in nearby Dürhölzen while the facilities were developed. Gimborn subsequently became an important venue for professional seminars, conferences, and meetings and is widely treated within the IPA as one of its flagship institutions. The association’s present work combines professional development with social and cultural exchange. Its national sections arrange friendship weeks, international visits, accommodation, sports competitions, and family activities. More than 40 IPA Houses and numerous other hosting arrangements provide members with lower-cost accommodation and opportunities to meet fellow members while travelling. The association also supports the biennial Young Police Officers’ Seminar, annual Arthur Troop Scholarships for professional education and advanced training, and the International Learning and Development Exchange Program, which allows members to compare professional practices, ideas, and policies across borders. Governance is conducted through a World Congress and an International Executive Board. The board consists of eight IPA members elected by the membership at the World Congress for four-year terms. Three commissions report to it: the International Relations Commission, the Professional Commission, and the Socio-Cultural Commission. The World Congress is held in a different host country and reviews the association’s activities while setting priorities for the next period. The IPA describes itself as a non-governmental organization open to active and retired police personnel. It aligns its principles with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and has consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, the Organization of American States, and UNESCO. By 2023, it reported more than 372,000 members in nearly 100 countries, including 65 affiliated national sections.
- 2023
Membership exceeds 372,000
[1]The IPA reported more than 372,000 members in nearly 100 countries and 65 affiliated national sections.
- 1987
Permanent administration center established
[1]A permanent international administration center was established at the Nottingham headquarters of the IPA United Kingdom section.
- 1986
Decision to create full-time administration
[1]The association decided to employ full-time staff as its international activities and membership expanded.
- 1982
First woman elected to the international executive board
[1]Phyllis Nolan of Ireland became the first woman to serve on the IPA’s international executive board.
- 1969
Gimborn education center founded
[1]The International Education and Conference Center at Gimborn Castle was founded in Germany on 25 October.
- 1961
First sections outside Europe affiliated
[1]Canada and Hong Kong joined the association at the 16 March World Congress, beginning the IPA’s formal expansion beyond Europe.
- 1961
First African section affiliated
[1]Kenya became the first African section to affiliate at the third World Congress in Stuttgart.
- 1950
International Police Association founded
[1]The IPA was established on 1 January 1950 with the Esperanto motto “Servo per Amikeco,” or “Service Through Friendship.”
- 1949
Arthur Troop publishes an early proposal
[1]Lincolnshire Police officer Arthur Troop published an article in the British Police Review under the pseudonym “Aytee,” helping articulate the idea that later developed into the IPA.
Products and positioning
A global, non-governmental fraternal association positioned around service through friendship: connecting current and former police personnel through professional cooperation, education, cultural exchange, travel assistance, and international community-building.
Professional and fraternal membership · 1950
IPA Membership
Membership is available to active-duty and retired police personnel through national sections. It provides access to an international network of colleagues, professional contacts, cultural activities, travel support, accommodation arrangements, educational programs, and social events. The membership model is designed to connect people in the police service across ranks, countries, languages, and cultures rather than to sell a conventional commercial product.
Professional development
Young Police Officers’ Seminar
The Young Police Officers’ Seminar is a biennial international event for younger IPA members working in law enforcement. It combines training, professional discussion, and relationship-building among participants from different countries. Cited host destinations include Australia in 2013, Poland in 2015, the United States in 2017, the United Kingdom in 2019, Sri Lanka in 2022, and New Zealand in 2023.
Scholarships
Arthur Troop Scholarships
The Arthur Troop Scholarships commemorate the IPA founder and support professional education and advanced training for IPA members. The program awards scholarships annually to approximately 10 to 15 members according to the cited organizational description. Although open to members active in law-enforcement roles, it is particularly oriented toward younger members and their professional development.
International professional exchange
International Learning and Development Exchange Program
The International Learning and Development Exchange Program enables IPA members to exchange professional knowledge, ideas, practices, and policy perspectives across national boundaries. The program is associated with the Professional Commission and is intended to turn the association’s international network into a structured learning resource for police personnel.
Education and conference center · 1969
International Education and Conference Center at Gimborn
The International Education and Conference Center at Gimborn Castle in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, hosts professional seminars, conferences, and meetings. Founded in 1969, the center occupies a prominent place in the IPA’s educational infrastructure and is frequently described as the association’s flagship facility.
Member travel and accommodation
IPA Houses and hosting network
National sections provide IPA Houses, members’ holiday homes, hotel discounts, and other accommodation arrangements for travelling members and their families. The cited material describes more than 40 IPA Houses and 264 hosting options listed through the organization’s hosting information. These arrangements support the association’s goal of encouraging personal contact and cross-border friendship.
International sports events
IPA Games
The IPA Games are biennial international sporting events for members. They extend the association’s social and cultural mission into organized athletic competition and provide another setting for interaction among police personnel from different national sections.
Marketing campaigns
- Friendship Weeks
International · Participating national sections
National sections organize friendship weeks for members and their families, using visits, social activities, and cultural programs to introduce participants to the traditions and daily life of other countries.
Outcome. The program supports cross-border personal relationships and cultural understanding among IPA members.
- International professional exchange
International
Through the International Learning and Development Exchange Program, the IPA promotes the exchange of professional knowledge, operational ideas, practices, and policy perspectives among members in different countries.
Outcome. The initiative strengthens professional cooperation and provides a structured mechanism for learning across national sections.
Brand decisions
1986
Professionalize international administrationStrategyBackground
Growth in membership and national sections made it impractical to continue transferring administrative responsibilities from one section to another.
Action taken
The leadership decided to employ full-time staff and establish a permanent international administrative center.
Aftermath
A permanent center opened in Nottingham in 1987, with Ken Robinson serving as its first chief executive officer.
1950
Adopt an international friendship-based organizational modelStrategyBackground
The founders sought to connect current and former police personnel across countries and without distinctions of rank or personal background.
Action taken
The association was established with the Esperanto motto “Servo per Amikeco,” making international friendship and cooperation the core of its identity.
Aftermath
The model became the foundation for the IPA’s national-section structure, travel assistance, educational activities, and cultural exchange programs.
Sources2 sources
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