Contributions of women to law enforcement focus of roundtable event

SINGAPORE – High-level representatives from all 10 ASEAN countries have gathered at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore to discuss the contributions of women to law enforcement and the leadership of women in policing.

The meeting, held under the aegis of the INTERPOL Capacity Building Programme on Improving Counter Terrorism and International Collaboration in ASEAN Member States, focused on training and mentoring at the operational, management and leadership levels.

H.E. Nancy Lynn McDonald, High Commissioner of Canada to Singapore (L), and Woo Chor Ping (R) INTERPOL’s Acting Director of Capacity Building and Training, opened the roundtable.

Dr Soepartiwi Rinaldi, Police Brigadier General (Ret.), Eastern & South East Asia Coordinator, presented the many initiatives led by the International Association of Women Police (IAWP).

Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in India, and the first woman to join the ranks of Officer in the Indian Police Service, joined the roundtable by videoconference. She encouraged participants to remain determined in their career paths and seize every opportunity available to them.

Dr Rebecca Reichmann Tavares, Representative, Office for India, Bhutan, Maldives & Sri Lanka, United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) highlighted many of the challenges faced by women in policing.

Colonel Claudia LUPEA, Chief Superintendent, Chief of Police Professional Capacity Building, United Nations Police (UNPOL), shared her leadership experience as a UN peacekeeper in Haiti in Liberia.

Held at the INTERPOL Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore, the roundtable included representatives from all 10 ASEAN countries.

/

The meeting, held under the aegis of the INTERPOL Capacity Building Programme on Improving Counter Terrorism and International Collaboration in ASEAN Member States, focused on training and mentoring at the operational, management and leadership levels. It further tackled broader policies, such as gender sensitive recruitment quotas and reforms, which encourage the hiring and retention of women by police forces, as well as their evolution to the strategic management level.

Keynote speakers included Dr Kiran Bedi, Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry in India, H.E. Nancy Lynn McDonald, the High commissioner of Canada to Singapore, as well as representatives from the International Association of Police Women, UNPOL, UN Women, the Queensland Police Service, and ASEAN member states.

The 25 participants heard that strengthening the role of women in police is key to building the overall capacity of each law enforcement agency, as women add a deeper dimension and offer different perspectives to the ever-changing environment of police work. They also heard how women play an equally vital role in peacekeeping missions.

The roundtable also addressed the persistent challenge of time and energy management, including work-life balance for women in police – often seen as a barrier to acceding to leadership positions.

The meeting saw several examples of key initiatives and organizations at the national and international level that have strengthened the role of women in policing in countries such as Australia, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines and Thailand.

Launched in August 2014, the INTERPOL Capacity Building Programme on Improving Counter Terrorism and International Collaboration in ASEAN Member States is jointly funded by INTERPOL and the Government of Canada.