A two-day workshop for the setting up of a Women Police Officers Network within the Mauritius Police Force (MPF), targeting some 30 women Police Officers, opened, yesterday morning, at the Ravenala Attitude Hotel in Balaclava. The Commissioner of Police, Mr Anil Kumar Dip, the Managing Director of Institutional Expert Service (IES), Mrs Namita Jagarnath Hardowar, and other personalities were present.
The event, a joint initiative of the MPF, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the IES, aims to strengthen the advancement of women emancipation and help achieve gender equality.
In his address, the Commissioner of Police stated that this initiative aligns with the MPF’s Strategic Plan 2022-2025, that is, to build sustainability and resilience of its female workforce. The workshop will better strengthen, unite, empower, and raise capacity of women Police Officers so that they can provide the highest quality service and attract more women to join the service, he said.
Mr Dip highlighted that Mauritius is signatory to many international Conventions pertaining to gender equality. He therefore emphasised on the need for the private and public sectors to remain committed to these Conventions and to promote gender equality and women empowerment in particular in decision-making at higher levels.
The MPF, he highlighted, has been promoting gender equality and has made much progress by changing into a more gender sensitive organisation. On that score, he indicated that at least 30% of women officers are being recruited for each exercise of Temporary Police Constables adding that the MPF is also ensuring that a greater number of women Officers are entrusted with higher responsibilities during promotion exercises.
The Commissioner of Police further mentioned that the UNDP is a key partner of the MPF as several joint projects in the fields of policing have been conceptualised. The workshop, he underlined, is another collaboration to support gender mainstreaming and women empowerment at the MPF. He expressed his deepest appreciation to the UNDP for their unwavering support and for the creation of the Women Police Officers Network.
For her part, the Managing Director of IES, Mrs Namita Jagarnath Hardowar, commended the MPF for organising the workshop. She recalled that in 2022, a Standard Letter of Agreement was signed between the MPF and the UNDP for the setting up of a Women Police Officers Network within the MPF. It is crucial to improve the services provided by the MPF to respond more effectively to victims of gender-based violence and gender inequality while promoting women’s empowerment, she said. The workshop will act as a powerful mechanism to advance the skills, confidence, and capabilities of women Police Officers, she further stated.
