After 43 years of service, Montgomery's first female patrol officer retires.

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For the first time women also have the right to register child birth, marriage or divorce and to be issued official family documents and be eligible as a guardian to children who are minors.

Article here. 

Event sees participation of special trainers, guest lecturers

A total of 196 women police recruits passed out of the Police Recruits School functioning on the premises of the Vellore Fort on Friday.

Inspector-General of Police, North Zone, K. Nagarajan, reviewed the parade and presented medals to best trainees on the occasion.

In his address, Mr. Nagarajan emphasised the need to adhere to discipline at all times while discharging their duties as police personnel. He said that police job requires dedication to ensure safety of people and their property and the new recruits should learn in the course of performing their duties.

Mr. Nagarajan added that uniform and discipline were the two things that separated a policeman from others.

Article here.

BEED, India (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Constable Meena Ghodke may be in the bottom rank of her local police force but it is the highest anyone has climbed in her village - man or woman - and she could not be prouder.

Not for Ghodke the usual wrench from school to farm work, early marriage and motherhood. Part of a wave of young village women who want more from life, the 26-year-old had plans.

“I didn’t want to work as a farm labor or marry. I spent half my school days toiling on the farm, but the yield was always poor. I never felt rewarded,” said Ghodke.

She spoke to the Thomson Reuters Foundation from her home in Beed, western India, where she carefully pinned on her name tag, buckled her belt and tied her hair in a tight bun before leaving for the local station where she works as a constable.

More here.

The deadline for the reduced fees is April 30.  After that date, fees (in USD) are:

Member: $899  
Nonmember: $1150  

Board, Developing Country, Companion/Retiree rates remain unchanged. 

March 24 & 25, 2019 Abu Dhabi - United Arab Emirates  

SPEECH TO BESTOW HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, Me’ SHEIKHA FATIMA BINT MUBARAK AS AN HONORARY MEMBER OF THE IAWP by The Second Vice – President of the IAWP, Lieutenant General (Dr) Leah Mofomme – South Africa

SALUTATION:

Her Royal Highness, Me’ Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak;

Your Excellencies;

Senior Officials from the General Women’s Union;

The Executive Director of the IAWP, Me’ Jane Townsley;

The Head of Women Police Department, Major (Dr) Aamna AL Belooshi;

Distinguished Guests;

Ladies and Gentlemen.

I bring you salutations from the President of the IAWP, Me’ Deborah Freidl who is not able to join us today due to family responsibilities. The president sends her appreciation and greetings to Her Royal Highness and this esteemed gathering.

The International Association of Women Police provides a platform for women in law enforcement to network with their peers, share work challenges and best practices. We are committed to fully embracing law enforcement as a career for women. We are advocating for women to be recognised in this previously male dominated profession, not just as numbers or an inferior group, but as equal and fully capable law enforcers. I come from a Continent where our grandmothers were not allowed to go to school as they were nurtured to become good wives and mothers. My mother could only go to school up to 6th Grade because her father did not want to waste money on a girl child who would soon be married and leave the family to become a house wife. However, all her brothers are highly educated and occupy very high positions in society. This is not just an African concept or history; all over the world, suppression of women occurs in one way or the other. We all know of 21-year-old Malala from Pakistan, who was shot at for her advocacy for human rights, especially education of women and children in her Community. Even in far developed and 1st World Countries, we still find that women are suppressed or are in the minority, especially in previously male dominated professions such as the Police Service. Most countries are advanced in terms of their economy, technology and other areas defined as development, but they still confine women to “soft or good for women” jobs, such as child and family protection units, support services, etc.

Although our countries are different, women in law enforcement have similar experiences in this unique and challenging profession. Just last week, we were in Ecuador where we shared experiences and knowledge about the evolution of women in various police agencies. We noted similar trends and patterns, we can conclude that women have similar experiences that are influenced by the roles that society has woven for women.

I believe that women who are in the various law enforcement agencies all over the world have a role of building bridges for others and future generations. There is power in us working together for a common cause. It cannot be that while women are the majority in the world, we are the minority in the workplace.

We have a responsibility to bring our vision into action; ensuring that women’s lives are free from discrimination, that women are valued for their contributions in the workplace and in the Community and that they are treated with respect and dignity.

As the IAWP, we are committed to raise the profile of women who are in the criminal justice, internationally and to building a professional Police Career which is representative of all of humanity.

It is for this reason that the IAWP resolved, at an Early Board Meeting in 2017, to honour Her Royal Highness, Me’ Fatima, the Mother of the UAE Nation, with the honorary membership of the IAWP.

I am deeply humbled and honoured to, on behalf of the President of the International Association of Women Police, bestow the honorary membership of this esteemed international organisation, to the Mother of the UAE Nation. For us, it is a privilege and a priceless esteem for Her Royal Highness to even accept this membership from us.

The IAWP Honorary membership is awarded to any individual to honor them for their actions that support the vision, mission and goals of the IAWP.

We have noted with admiration Her Royal Highness’ efforts and continuous to support the course of women both within the Region and at an International Level and Her commitment to the education of women and promotion of women rights. Indeed, women rights are human rights. Many Governments make the mistake of preaching human rights but still excluding women from their development strategies. For more than four decades, Her royal Highness has worked tirelessly to promote the advancement and development of women. We, as the IAWP, want to draw from your strength and deep commitment to press forward and change the lives of many women in the current and future lifetimes.

Programme Director, allow me the honor to hand over this shield and certificate to Her Royal Highness as the IAWP’s symbol of honorary membership.

The IAWP is pleased to announce that Myra G. James is the organization's 2019 Heritage Award recipient. Media release: March 20, 2019 Media Release IAWP 2019 Heritage Award Recipient

      

Media Release

Corporate Partnership with Axon

We are delighted to announce that Axon have again agreed to continue their corporate partnership with the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) in 2019. Continuing this partnership with Axon ensures IAWP can continue to influence at the highest level, the development of personal protective equipment and support technology designed to take account of women’s specific needs as well as cultural considerations. The support now provided by Axon will also allow IAWP to continue with its other projects and help ensure the organisation is sustainable.

Natalia Villett, Director, International Marketing and Events for Axon said, “Axon first got involved with IAWP through its Taser brand at the IAWP conference in Cardiff in August of 2015, where we were surrounded by hundreds of brave and strong women from all over the world.

After hearing many stories of success and bravery from around the globe we knew we needed to be aligned with such an organization… An organization that celebrates women and recognizes the commitment they make to make our communities safer. A statement Axon recognizes and lives by.

We were pleased to become corporate partners and members of IAWP in 2016 and that partnership continued in 2017 under the Axon brand. We look forward to developing this partnership further, for the third year in succession, we will also be sponsoring the IAWP Officer of the year award to be presented at the 2019 IAWP conference in Anchorage, Alaska, USA.

At Axon we make innovative public safety technologies that, combined with the brave work of law enforcement officers, help to protect life. From our TASER smart weapons, to body worn cameras, to our industry-leading cloud-based evidence management software, we are the world’s premier public safety company and are committed to delivering safe, secure solutions for law enforcement, militaries, and citizens alike. As a proud sponsor of this year’s 57th Annual IAWP Training Conference in Anchorage, Alaska, USA, we strive to protect and support the courageous women in policing by equipping them with products that best serve them as they serve others.  We appreciate the incredibly inspiring female officers that risk their lives every day and we look forward to meeting you at this year’s conference to discuss how we can combine our efforts in making communities around the world safer

IAWP President Deborah Friedl said: “This partnership is of great importance to IAWP.  It allows us to take an active role in the future development of equipment and technology designed to protect and support those working in law enforcement. When law enforcement officers are protected, they are better equipped to protect their communities and keep them safe. Supportive technology will aid officers’ investigations and supports IAWP’s resolution on combatting violence against women as well as increasing the prospect of successful prosecutions at court. Our partnership with Axon continues to grow as we find new ways of collaborating for the benefit of our members and victims of violence.”

About the Axon network:  
The Axon network includes more than 100,000 licensed users from around the world and is changing the future of public safety.  
Axon protects life by connecting devices, apps and people onto one centralized network. Our technologies impact every aspect of an officer's day-to-day experience:

• In the field - Our Smart Weapons offer a less-lethal alternative to firearms and have helped saved over 180,000 lives; our body-worn and in-car cameras collect video evidence to capture the truth of an incident; and our mobile applications enable simple evidence collection.
• At the station - Our secure, Canadian cloud-based digital evidence management solution allows officers and command staff to manage, review, share and process digital evidence using forensic, redaction, transcription and other tools.
• In the courtroom - Our solutions for prosecutors make collaborating across jurisdictions and agencies easy so that cases can be resolved quickly.

Follow the Axon brand here:

• Axon on line: https://www.axon.com
• Axon on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Axon_EMEA
• Axon on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Axon/117780381886687

About the International Association of Women Police

The International Association of Women Police (IAWP) is a richly diverse and growing organization with global reach.  We have Members, Affiliates, Friends and Strategic Partners in countries around the World.

Our Mission: To strengthen, unite and raise the capacity of women in policing internationally.

Our Vision: IAWP envisions a world where police reflect the diversity of communities they serve and human rights are protected. Our mission is to strengthen and raise the capacity of women in policing internationally.

• Web site: www.iawp.org

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/iawpinfo  

• 2019 Annual Training conference 23rd to 27th September 2019, Anchorage, Alaska, USA:  www.iawp2019.womenpoliceofalaska.org   

• Media Enquiries: media@iawp.org

• Partnership/sponsorship enquiries: janetownsley@blueyonder.co.uk

IAWP Sgt At Arms - Halifax Police Sgt Nancy Rudback received the Order of Merit at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on January 30th, 2019.

Featured with her is Her Excellency Julie Payette and RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki.

Photo courtesy Myra James, IAWP Facebook post, February 2019 

Publication Abstract  

Law enforcement has increasingly become the primary point of contact for individuals living with mental illness, and the presence of these individuals in jail and prison populations has grown to crisis proportions. This report - developed by the Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA) in partnership with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) - identifies innovative practices that have proven successful in reducing the arrest and incarceration of individuals living with mental illness in jurisdictions across the country. The programs have shown promise in several areas: diverting those who live with mental illness away from the criminal justice system, supporting individuals in the court system, identifying and treating those who have been incarcerated, and helping individuals successfully re-enter their communities after discharge. The report includes case studies of seven jurisdictions and resources developed by law enforcement executives and experts in the field.

Read, download here.