NCJ Number
164571
Journal
Police Studies Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: (1996) Pages: 63-75
Date Published
1996
Length
13 pages
Annotation
Twenty-nine female police units, recently established by the Tamil Nadu State Police in South India, consist of 15 women constables and two sub-inspectors under the command of an inspector.
Abstract
The female police units mainly deal with family-related disputes and cases involving women and children but also serve the full range of general police functions. They have been established for two main reasons; to engender trust in the police among female victims and to provide an independent career structure for female police officers. Interviews with female police officers in five units revealed a high level of satisfaction with police work and career prospects. Many more women in the units than in a general sample of female police officers questioned in 1988 expressed interest in performing the full range of police duties, but they also said they would like to do this in units staffed only by women. Female police officers enjoyed the experience of working directly with other females and having a woman as their chief. The author recommends more detailed evaluation of female police units to assess the extent to which the units address the needs of female police officers in traditional cultures. 20 references, 5 tables, and 1 figure