More than 60 women officers of the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) across the country today (9 October) attended a one-day workshop at the Police Headquarters in Rove, Honiara called Women in Policing.
The Workshop was initiated by the RSIPF Women’s Advisory Network (WAN) in which represents women officers from each provincial police and the various departments and divisions within the Force.
The Workshop discussed how women officers can contribute effectively in policing.
The issues are:
• Equal or Equity or both;
• Physical Strength and Policing;
• Contextualizing the need to Rethink Gender;
• Rethinking Training;
• Rethinking Recruitment; and
• Rethinking Placement.
During the opening of the workshop, the Chairperson of the WAN, Inspector Ileen Ukebule says, “I wish to thank all Provincial Police Commanders and Directors of various RSIPF Departments and Divisions for allowing and releasing their women officers to attend this important workshop”.
“I am also grateful to Dr. Danielle Watson, Coordinator-Pacific Policing Programme, of the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, for accepting the invitation to be one of the key speakers at this workshop,” says Inspector Ukebule.
She adds, “I am also thankful for the continuous support of female Police Advisors under the Australian Solomon Islands Police Development Programme (SIPDP) and New Zealand Solomon Islands Police Support Programme (SIPSP) to the WAN.”.
The Women in Policing Workshop is held alongside the Police Provincial Commanders and Directors Conference.