Today, the Lord Mayor of Leeds, Councillor Eileen Taylor, welcomed a visiting group of retired police officers from Leeds’ partner city of Dortmund. The visit formed part of celebrations taking place throughout 2019 to mark 50 years of twinning between Leeds and Dortmund.
Over 40 retired police officers from the Dortmund branch of the International Police Association (IPA), a global network of retired and serving police officers, along with their counterparts from the West Yorkshire IPA branch were hosted by the Lord Mayor at a reception held in the Civic Hall.
The cities two IPA branches have a longstanding relationship that dates back to the very start of the twinning process and has seen numerous exchanges between the two groups over the last 50 years.
Commenting on the event Lord Mayor, Councillor Eileen Taylor said: “This year is a very special year for our partnership with Dortmund, as we celebrate 50 years of twinning.
“The link between the two cities’ police officers has been one of the most active partnerships over the last 50 years.
“Over 40 retired officers travelled all the way from Germany via ferry and coach to be in Leeds today – a fantastic effort that underlines why the partnership between our two cities is still so strong 50 years later.”
