Greg O’Connor re-elected Chair of ICPRA

23 June 2014

Greg O’Connor re-elected Chair of ICPRA

New Zealand Police Association President Greg O’Connor was re-elected Chair of the International Council of Police Representative Associations (ICPRA) at the council’s biennial meeting in Cape Town on Friday last week. Mr O’Connor has chaired the world body since 2006 and was re-elected for a further two-year term.

ICPRA is a council of police associations and unions from around 40 countries across North America, Europe, Africa, and Australasia, collectively representing the interests of more than 1.5 million law enforcement officers. The Cape Town meeting further expanded the ICPRA network by establishing linkages with the international Portguese-speaking police associations, representing nine more countries across South America, Africa, Europe and Asia.

At its conclusion, the council issued a communique (appended), recording the meeting outcomes. Amongst other things, the council noted the increasing demands being placed on police and the wider criminal justice system worldwide to deal with mental health issues in the community, as investment in specialist mental health services and social support declines. The council also called on governments to recognise collective bargaining rights and support the development of democratic police representative organisations, because of their importance in stabilising societies, safeguarding civil and political rights and upholding the rule of law.

ENDS

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