NCJ Number
162132
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: (1995) Pages: 1-16
Date Published
1995
Length
16 pages
Annotation
Male and female police officers in one police agency in England were surveyed to determine gender differences in the propensity to become a police officer authorized to use firearms, the reasons given for expressions of interest or disinterest, and perceptions about the suitability of policewomen to be trained in the use of guns.
Abstract
In England and Wales, 6 percent of police officers are authorized to carry firearms; only 2.6 percent of this total are women. The questionnaire survey gathered initial and followup information from 448 members of a police agency with a total of 3,269 officers, of whom 12 percent are women. Questionnaires were distributed through internal mail during April and May 1993. Results revealed a higher-than- expected rate of interest in firearms duties from female police and some resistance by males for females to serve as firearms officers. Findings were analyzed in terms of two competing explanations for women's limited presence in this police specialty: motivational or aptitude deficits among female police officers or occupational cultural inhibitions. Tables and 30 references (Author abstract modified)