Representatives of more than 1 million police union members from across the globe banded together for two industrial meetings over five days in Edinburgh last November.

The Scottish Police Federation hosted both the International Law Enforcement Council conference, and a joint meeting of the police federations of the United Kingdom.

The Police Federation of Australia – represented by its president, Peter Alexander, and CEO, Mark Burgess – took part in the major symposia.

Following written submissions, presentations and delegate discussion on the ILEC agenda items, participants made a range of commitments.

ILEC in-principle agreements

Assaults on police, risk of contracting infectious diseases and legislative protection

ILEC views attacks on police officers acting in the lawful execution of their duty as an attack on society itself. It calls on governments to take seriously the question of prevention, prosecution, penalty and post-incident support for officers’ subjected to such attacks.

Equipment standards

ILEC calls upon all police governing bodies to provide equipment that meets or exceeds minimum safety standards that provide officers with a safe work environment. Independence and integrity of investigations of police ILEC argues that the public deserves a police force that is free from improper prosecutions or sanctions borne out of undue political influence and special-interest-group pressure.

Government obligation to provide for public safety

ILEC argues that public safety, the core obligation of government, is being compromised when governments choose to utilize the services of inadequately trained and qualified persons as an inappropriate substitute for properly trained law enforcement professionals in public policing responsibilities.

Police mobility and professionalism

ILEC seeks an internationally accepted accreditation system for law enforcement professionals that allows for the increased mobility of police through initiatives such as mutual recognition of the equivalency of qualifications from other jurisdictions, comparable to doctors, nurses and other like professionals.

Freedom of association

ILEC, through structures such as the International Labour Organization, calls upon all governments to recognize the right of police officers to freedom of association and the right to bargain collectively.

Police union representatives from around the world participate in the ILEC conference.

Housekeeping

Delegates to the conference agreed that ILEC needed a home address and secretariat. Canadian Professional Police Association director of labour services, Dale Kinnear, agreed to act in that capacity until the 2006 conference.

The CPPA expects to have an ILEC website up and running in early 2005. Meanwhile, ILEC 2004 documentation is available on the CPPA website at www.cppa-acpp.ca

Also decided at the conference was to form a small committee to investigate and report back on the future conduct, co-ordination and structure of ILEC meetings.

Members of that now formed committee are:

• Canadian Professional Police Association director of labour services, Dale Kinnear.
• New Zealand Police Association president, Greg O’Connor.
• National Association of Police Organizations (US) executive director, Bill Johnson.
• Police Federation of Australia chief executive officer, Mark Burgess.

These officials will report back to the ILEC with recommendations.

UK joint meeting

Delegates from Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the US joined 70 of their counterparts from the police federations of England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the British Transport Police in the UK joint meeting.

It covered such issues as:

• Disability and policing
• Police pensions
• Less than lethal weapons
• Eurocop (European Confederation of Police)
• Misconduct issues
• Police reform
• Training
• Gun crime.

Report

A comprehensive report on the conferences’ outcomes will be presented to the PFA executive’s March meeting, as will a range of further information provided by participating jurisdictions subsequent to the ILEC conference. Some of the discussion has assisted in the development of the PFA’s strategic plan.

PARTICIPANTS

Police unions represented at the 2004 ILEC conference were:

• Association of Garda Sergeants & Inspectors.
• British Transport Police Federation.
• Canadian Professional Police Association.
• Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas.
• Danish Police Federation.
• European Confederation of Police.
• Garda Representatives.
• National Association of Police Organizations (US).
• New Zealand Police Association.
• Police Association of New South Wales.
• Police Federation of Australia.
• Police Federation of England & Wales.
• Police Federation for Northern Ireland.
• Queensland Police Union.
• Scottish Police Federation.

ILEC HISTORY

ILEC formed to bring national police unions together to discuss industrial issues and, therefore, share information and foster good relations among members of the international police labour movement. The Canadian Police Association hosted the inaugural and second meetings of the ILEC in Canada in 1996 and ’98.

A participating police union has continued to host the meeting every two years. The Police Federation of England & Wales staged it in 2000, as did the PFA in 2002.

Invitations to attend the meetings have gone out to other national and, now, international organizations since the first gathering in 1996. And participants benefit from the networking and information-sharing that continues between the conferences.

The US will host the 2006 conference, which more national agencies are likely to attend.