The logo of the International Police Association is the centrepiece of our organisation’s identity, and has remained relatively unchanged since the IPA was founded in 1950. The original version of the logo was hand drawn by the IPA’s founder, Arthur Troop in 1950, and although it had become well established throughout the early years of the association, it wasn’t adopted as the official emblem of the IPA until the first World Congress in Paris, France in 1955, where it was debated more thoroughly than any other item on the agenda.
Arthur Troop paid immense attention to detail when he was designing the IPA logo, as he needed to make sure that every element accurately represented what the IPA stands for, and what its aims are as an international friendship organisation. The centre globe shows the worldwide scope of the association and the unity of police officers around the world. The eight-pointed star is used as the background for most police helmet badges in the UK. The effect is completed by the laurel scrolls on either side of the badge, with the scroll at the base that displays the IPA motto. The language for the association’s motto was heavily debated during the 1955 World Congress, but ultimately Arthur Troop decided to contact Bob Hamilton, an IPA member and expert in the international language of Esperanto, who translated the motto which has remained the same since then. The chosen motto for the association was ‘Servo per Amikeco’, and directly translates to English as ‘Service through Friendship’.
Arthur Troop's original drawing of the IPA logo
In 1959, the roundel style emblem of the IPA was developed and was to be used as a lapel badge. The roundel emblem was adopted and intended for display purposes, whereas the wreathed logo was used for official documentation.
The IPA roundel badge
In recent years, the IPA logos were modernised to this well known version.
IPA emblem logo
Following the World congress in 2022, these latest versions were adopted by the delegates to be used throughout all National Sections of the IPA. Although they may appear slightly different compared to the original versions, their core elements have been retained, and to this day nearly 70 years later, our motto has remained the same – Servo per Amikeco.
Modern revision of the IPA logo
Modern revision of the IPA roundel
The IPA logos are registered trademarks and their use is governed by Art. 9 of the International Rules.
IPA Hymn
The IPA Hymn was created in 1966 by IPA France members, and has since remained the official anthem of the IPA. The words were written in French by Pierre-Marie Guillemot, and the music was composed by Alfred Couat. The IPA Hymn was first played at the 8th IEC held in Toronto, Canada in 1966, where the orchestrations were carried out by the Band of the French National Police under its Deputy Principal Officer, Pierre Bigot. The title of the IPA Hymn is ‘Servir par l’Amitie’, which translates to the IPA’s motto – Service through Friendship.
IPA Hymn sheet music.
Click here to view the original wording and music
Click here to view the full score
Click here to listen to the IPA Hymn