The 2023 Women in Policing conference, hosted by Police Scotland will take place in Edinburgh from Wednesday 8 to Friday 10 March 2023.

Martyn Evans, Chair of the Scottish Police Authority attended the event on Wednesday 8 March. Speaking from the conference he said:

"I am delighted to attend this year’s annual Women in Policing conference in Edinburgh this week. The conference brings together established and aspiring leaders from across UK policing and beyond to shine a light on the benefits of a gender balanced workforce and to focus on the themes of life, leadership and legacy. There is a real buzz and sense of momentum from the event today.

"Diversity in Police Scotland officers and staff can help build ever stronger relationships between the service and the communities served, improve communication and understanding and build on the clear ambitions to improve safety and wellbeing and contribute to a fairer Scotland.

"Policing across the UK has come on significantly in terms of female representation compared to a few decades ago.  There is no doubt that policing is better because of this but there is still some way to go.

"In Scotland, female representation within policing is currently sitting at 33% which is the same across England and Wales.  If recruitment and leaver rates continue to reflect rates for 2021/22 then it is projected that our female representation will be 35% by 2024 and 40% by 2029. 

"In the UK, women represent more than 50% of the population. If the police service is to be truly representative of the communities it serves then this needs to be represented in the policing workforce too. To achieve this, we must be ambitious in identifying and removing all barriers that prevent policing from reflecting wider society.  

"Of course, recruiting and retaining women to policing is one thing, but there also must be a focus on ensuring attractive and accessible career pathways that support and retain females at all levels within policing.  Gender representation at all ranks has increased year-on-year, but females remain more prominently represented at constable level.  However, we are seeing positive trends with representation at the rank of Sergeant increasing from 25% in 2019 to 30% now. Representation at the most senior ranks is improving too. Two of the three Deputy Chief Constables are women and the number of women at ACC rank is growing.

"Offering flexibility and opportunities to support the balancing of careers with parenting or caring responsibilities for all parents is a priority. As is developing a culture where flexibility is promoted to all and not presumed as something sought by women only.

"Conferences like today play a crucial role in highlighting the value, benefits and opportunities that female representation brings to society and policing."

Article initially published 8 March 2023.