Women in Policing Conference

I was delighted to attend the 2023 Women in Policing conference, hosted by Police Scotland in Edinburgh between Wednesday 8 and Friday 10 March 2023.

The conference brought together established and aspiring leaders from across UK policing and beyond to shine a light on the benefits of a gender balanced workforce and to focus on the themes of life,
leadership and legacy.

Workforce diversity can support stronger relationships between the services and communities, improve communication and understanding and build on the clear ambitions to improve safety and wellbeing and contribute to a fairer Scotland.

Policing across the UK has come on significantly in terms of female representation compared to a few decades ago. There is no doubt that policing is better because of this, but there is still some way to go.

In Scotland, female representation within policing is currently sitting at 33% which is the same across England and Wales. If recruitment and leaver rates continue to reflect rates for 2021/22 then it is
projected that our female representation will be 35% by 2024 and 40% by 2029.

In the UK, women represent more than 50% of the population. If the police service is to be truly representative of the communities it serves then this needs to be represented in the policing workforce
too. To achieve this, we must be ambitious in identifying and removing all barriers that prevent policing from reflecting wider society. 

Of course, recruiting and retaining women to policing is one thing, but there also must be a focus on ensuring attractive and accessible career pathways that support and retain females at all levels within policing. Gender representation in all ranks has increased year-on year, but females remain more prominently represented at
constable level. However, we are seeing positive trends with representation at the rank of Sergeant increasing from 25% in 2019 to 30% now. Representation at the most senior ranks is improving too. Two of the three Deputy Chief Constables are women and the number of women at ACC rank is growing.

Offering flexibility and opportunities to support the balancing of careers with parenting or caring responsibilities is a priority. As is developing a culture where flexibility is promoted to all and not
presumed as something sought by women only.

Events like the Women in Policing conference play a crucial role in highlighting the value, benefits and opportunities that female representation brings to society and policing. I congratulate all those involved in organising and contributing to the event.