Women police stations: have they fulfilled their promise?

Abstract

Women police stations (WPS) are recognized as an important component of gender-sensitive policing for dealing with domestic violence (DV). These stations have been established in many developing countries to serve two main purposes: to deal better with crimes against women and to provide a rewarding career for women officers. This paper examines whether WPS have met these expectations. At a time when other countries are thinking about introducing WPS, it is important to validate best practices and identify shortcomings for better use of police and public resources in dealing with DV and other crimes against women. We describe the structure and functioning of the stations based on interviews, review pertinent studies and analyze official data to explain the role of the WPS in empowering victims; improving their access to justice; reducing victimization and increasing the representation of women in policing. Theory, policy and research implications are discussed.<br/ ><br/ >Keywords: Women police stations, women police, domestic violence, crimes against women, policing theories