WAPI ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
TUESDAY 8TH DECEMBER 2020
The Association’s AGM will be held on
Tuesday 8th December 2020 virtually via Zoom
Any WAPI member who wishes to attend the AGM, will need to notify our General Secretary
via email on generalsecretary@wapi.org to arrange facilities before the 1st December 2020
The AGM will commence at 11.00 hours and close at approximately 13.00 hours.
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING AGENDA
The Meeting Agenda is as follows:
- Meeting is declared open by the Chairman – Tony Smith
- Chairman’s Annual Report
- Vice Chairman’s Report
- Treasurers Report and presentation of Accounts
- GC Members Reports
- Membership
- EU & Training
- Complaints & Discipline & E-Group
- Electronic Media
- Marketing
- The GC stand down
- GS announces election results
- New GC appoint Officers/Portfolios
- Incoming Chairman introduction and proposals for new term
- Members questions/concerns – represented by GS
- Any other business
CANDIDATES STANDING FOR THE NEXT GOVERNING COUNCIL (2020/2021) TERM ARE AS FOLLOWS:
John Edwards
Beverley Flynn
Gary Murray
Emma Rowley
Tony Smith
Ian Withers
WAPI operate on a Default Voting System. This means that for each qualified WAPI member, it will be deemed that a Proxy has been given to the General Secretary who will vote with a “YES” Vote for each candidate UNLESS the Member notifies in writing a “NO” Vote.
In the event of a Yes/No Tie, the Members will be invited to submit Ballot papers at a later date.
Any qualified Member may Vote in person at the AGM provided written notice to attend has been received.
Candidate Bio’s
John A Edwards
I am a past Chairman and Founder of the World Association of Professional Investigators. I was an active Professional Investigator for 25 years and started off life in the Armed Forces where I served for 27 years and rose to the rank of Captain, during which time I saw service in Ulster and the Middle and the Far East. As a founder Member of the World Association of Professional Investigators and Principal of the Bedfordshire Investigation Bureau, I have for some time been a strong advocate for Training and Qualifications and have held the National Vocational Qualification level 4 Investigation since 1998 and I am also an NVQ Assessor. During 2005 I also gained further Qualifications specifically C&G 7302 C&G 1184 and C&G 1186 (Conflict Management Trainer) and has the (B-Tech IQ) Level 3 Award in Professional Investigations . John now runs his own aerial surveillance and photography company.
Beverley Flynn
Beverley has been directly involved in the Investigation Industry for 35 years, predominantly on the Sales Marketing & administrative side of the business. Beverley’s career commenced in Business Management and joined the Investigation Industry with her late Husband Patrick. Beverley attained a BA Honours degree in Business Management in the early 1990’s, shortly afterwards forming Insight Investigations with its Head Office based in Birmingham. Beverley became the Membership Secretary of WAPI in October 2003 and held the post of Lady Vice-Chairman of the Association from October 2004 to October 2006 and October 2007 until October 2008. Beverley became Treasurer the association in October 2007. Beverley was Lady Chairman of the Association for the term 2011/2012.
Tony Smith
Entering the profession as a trainee in 1977 Tony opened his own office working from Liverpool City Center in October 1981, Douglas Isle of Man and latterly from offices close to Aintree Racecourse. Tony was a founder Member of the Merseyside Association of Investigators and Process Servers in 1986 (now the British Association of Investigators and Process Servers) and remained Secretary/Treasurer of that Association until 2000 becoming an Honorary Life member in 2007. Joining WAPI in 2002 Tony was appointed to the Governing Council in 2004. In addition to other tasks Tony moderates the WAPI EGroup, the second largest industry EGroup in the world. A British Mensa “1%er”, Tony is also a member of Intertel and The Horserace Writers Association and served some time with A.Co 4 Para based at Liverpool’s Grace Road Barracks in his ‘younger years’.Tony has worked nationally and internationally for a wide variety of high profile and commercial clients and was a Consultant Script Advisor for a series BBC Drama starring Ricky Tomlinson. Tony has served as WAPI Chairman 2018 to 2019 and 2019 to 2020.
Emma Rowley
Emma has worked within the Private Investigation industry for the past 25 years, starting as an Office Junior and eventually working her way up to Manager – Operational Support. Emma has been actively involved within WAPI via Beverley Flynn during the past 15 years. Emma has assisted and attended every past WAPI event and also attended the World Investigators Conference in Las Vegas in 2005 working on the WAPI stand. Emma currently provides administration support to the Treasurer, aswell as running the Membership and being General Secretary. Emma is married with a young daughter and lives in the West Midlands.
Ian Withers
A retired International Private Investigator & Security Consultant since 1960, based between Belfast, Cyprus and Maryland USA.
Ian is a founding member of the ‘World Association of Professional Investigators’ (WAPI) and serves on the governing council as a founder member having completed five terms as chairman. He represented WAPI on the (UK) Investigator Sector Group UK-ISG) and represented both the UK and Irish PI sectors in negotiations with governments on the regulation of the private investigation sector. Ian holds City & Guilds NVQ Level 4 – Investigations and National Qualification Certificate (B-Tech IQ) Level 3 award in Professional Investigations. He held a license for over 10 years as a PI in Maryland, USA where he is a retired Member of ‘National Association of Legal Investigators’ (NALI), the ‘National Council of Investigation & Security Services’ (NCISS) and ‘National Association of Professional Process Servers’ (NAPPS). He was the Regional Director, Region VIII (International) Membership Section for the ‘National Association of Legal Investigators’ and assistant editor for international news with PI Magazine. His Memoirs to be published in early 2021 “Private Eye – Secret Spy” recount the many exceptional and interesting cases he has worked on during his almost 60 years as a prominent international investigator and intelligence provider.
Gary Murray
Gary gained his investigatory training in the Royal Air Force Police where he served as an NCO Investigator in the Special Investigation Branch-SIB employed on criminal and counter intelligence duties, in the Far East Air Force also the UK monitoring the activities of Anti-Nuclear protestor groups, and security vetting duties. Following service with the RAF Police he joined 21 Special Air Service where he served in an Operations & Intelligence Unit which included training at the Combined Services Intelligence Unit at that time in Kent.
Following military service Gary joined forces with an Army Military Police SIB investigator and formed Euro-Tec Investigation Service and was recruited by an intelligence organisation to work in Berlin where he went behind the wall into East Germany tracking individuals of interest. His activities are highlighted in a Book Enemies of the State which was published by Simon and Schuster along with a Business Security Handbook. Gary is the author of various books, nine in all, covering fictional spy stories and none fiction martial Arts books, as an individual Murray has worked undercover for UK and US Government agencies.
In addition to his investigatory experience Gary holds a Civilian fixed wing and helicopter pilots license and qualified as a flying instructor, a part time activity he has enjoyed for many years. He has a close affinity with Japanese and is qualified in a number of martial arts to 5th Dan black belt and instructor. His other hobbies include playing jazz & blues piano and languages. He is able to survive in German, Japanese, and Polish and regularly uses his language ability during investigations.
As part and parcel of his partnership duties with Euro-Tec Gary is a Fellow of the Institute of Paralegals, has completed the level 3 Professional Investigators Award and is also UKAS certificated for the provision of investigatory services to BS102000 standard. His duties also include working as an armed forces Welfare Officer.
Users of Professional Investigative Services including members of the public, legal profession, business and corporate clients, are able to select a credible Professional Investigator who is recognized as a “professional” and as such is a member of an established and approved professional association such as The World Association of Professional Investigators (WAPI).