Context

• Women constitute about 7% of the police strength in India. This number is expected to rise, with many States and Union Territories providing for 30% (and more) reservation for women in the police in specific ranks. However, this is not enough.

• The discourse on mainstreaming women in the police by making policing inclusive, non-discriminatory and efficient in India is missing in policy circles.

Need for policies

• One way to mainstream women in the police is to develop a model policy that will challenge the deep-rooted patriarchy in the institution.

• Unfortunately, till now, not a single State police department has attempted to even draft such a policy.

• Thus, neither the Central nor State governments can get very far by merely adopting reservation to increase gender diversity without considering the need for policymaking.

• A model policy, while laying the foundation for equal opportunities for women in every aspect of policing, should also strive to create a safe and enabling work environment. Without this, all other efforts will remain piecemeal.

Steps needed to be taken

• One of the first steps to ensure a level playing field for women in the police is toincrease their numbers.

• Merely providing reservation is not enough; police departments should develop an action plan to achieve the target of 30% or more in a time-bound manner.

• Departments should also undertake special recruitment drives in every district to ensure geographical diversity.

• To achieve the target, the police should reach out to the media and educational institutions to spread awareness about opportunities for women in the police.

• Current data reveal that most women in the police are concentrated in the lower ranks. Efforts should be made to change this. The impulse to create women-only battalions for the sake of augmenting numbers should be eliminated.

• Second, the model policy should strive to ensure that decisions on deployment of women are free of gender stereotyping to facilitate bringing women into leading operational positions.

• At present, there appears to be a tendency to sideline women, or give them policing tasks that are physically less demanding, or relegate them to desk duty, or make them work on crimes against women alone.

• Women police officers should be encouraged to take on public order and investigative crimes of all types, and should be given duties beyond the minimum mandated by special laws.

• Desk work too must be allocated evenly among men and women.

• Police departments still lack proper internal childcare support systems.Departments need to be mindful of this social reality and exercise sensitivity in making decisions on transfers and posting of women personnel.

• Women should be posted in their home districts in consultation with supervising officers.

Preventing Sexual Harassment at Work Place

• Police departments must also ensure safe working spaces for women and adopt a zero-tolerance policy towards discrimination and harassment, in order to make policing a viable career option for women.

• Departments are legally bound to set up Internal Complaints Committees to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace.

• Departments must operationalise the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act of 2013.

Conclusion

• Some of these suggestions have already been made by the National Conference of Women in Police. However, Central and State governments have not yet developed or adopted a comprehensive framework towards achieving substantive gender equality.