On Monday, 11 May 2026, Managing Director Michael Schemke and COO Stefan Schwarz visited the IBZ Schloss Gimborn. The purpose of the meeting was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which is intended to lay the foundations for future cooperation between the GS-Foundation and the International Education and Meeting Centre Schloss Gimborn. The IBZ Schloss Gimborn was represented by Jürgen Mathies, Chairman of the Board of Trustees, as well as by Director René Kauffmann and Education Officer Ulrike Neuhoff.

The IBZ Schloss Gimborn was founded in 1969 by the International Police Association (IPA) and has since established itself as a renowned centre for further education and training. Its specialist focus lies on the professional training and further education of members of the police, security authorities and other security-related institutions.

The IPA is a politically and trade-union-independent association of some 430,000 police officers from 67 countries. The organisation’s aim is to promote international understanding, cross-border cooperation and civic education.

“Servo per Amikeco” – Service through friendship

This is the IPA’s official motto. The motto symbolises the idea of international understanding and cooperation. The IPA was founded shortly after the Second World War at a time when Europe was deeply divided politically and socially. Police forces, which had previously been at war with one another, were to build bridges through personal exchange and shared values.

The idea to found the organisation came from Arthur Troop (1914–2000), a British police sergeant from Lincolnshire. His aim was to bring together police officers from different nations to build friendships and break down prejudices and hostile stereotypes.

First concrete collaborations planned

Concrete plans are already in place for an initial collaboration between the GS-Foundation and the IBZ Schloss Gimborn. In August, two delegations from Chile and Colombia will travel to Schloss Gimborn for a week to take part in a leadership training course.

The participants are drawn in equal numbers from the Colombian Policía Nacional and the Carabineros de Chile. The training is taking place as part of the trilateral police project with Colombia and Chile. The aim is to prepare managers specifically for their tasks and the associated challenges and to strengthen their skills in the long term.