Jealousy as Police Women Meet

Posted: Sat Sep 01, 2007 1:56 pm Post subject: Jealousy as Police Women Meet

I ask myself...... why is there a need for "A Conference on Women in Policing."

Haven't the police progressed from the days of the 1950's when there was a Police Women's Squad and Police women
were restricted from most operational duties.

Today, women enjoy the same freedoms as their male counter-parts when it comes to duties, pay, promotion and equal opportunities.

So again, I ask, why is there a Conference on Women in Policing ?

What an absolute waste of tax payers money.

Surely this money could be set aside to offset the cost of the 5 % pay rise requested by the "rank and file" - the ones actually doing the work. Remember police work... ? Arresting bad guys and putting them in jail. Not standing around having coffee and cake.

What a disgusting waste of tax payer dollars. Once again, force command and management demonstartes it's total irresponsibility in financial management.

If you must go to the Conference, please feel free to go in your own time and at your own expense.

As one officer said in the news article........ "you can't get anywhere in the force these days unless you have breasts."

Sounds about right.......

http://www.policeforcesexposed.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=44&mode=&order=0&thold=0

A CONFERENCE on women in policing attended by 50 Victorian officers at a cost of more than $50,000 has been criticised by male police who are covering for their colleagues.

Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon is hosting the conference in her role as president of the Australasian Council of Women and Policing.

Victoria Police has funded 50 places — six policewomen from each of the force's five regions and 20 staff from various departments are attending — as well as paying for accommodation costs for out-of-towners.

But male police claim the same number of policemen would never be allowed to skip regular duties at the same time to attend a conference.

One officer said his superiors had justified the staff shortage created by the conference as "important for their personal and professional development".

"That's all good and well but … no one cares about my personal or professional development considering I've been trying to do (temporary) duties within the crime department to further my career but I've been told I can't because of a staff shortage," the officer said.

"If we've got such a shortage, then I'm amazed that we can afford to send so many resources to this sort of thing."

Another officer said that "you can't get anywhere in the force these days unless you have breasts".

But Victoria Police media director Steve Linnell said the conference, which celebrates 90 years of women in policing, was open to male and female officers.

"It was an opportunity for our police members to meet with renowned researchers in a variety of fields, particularly in relation to domestic violence, sexual assault and women in leadership issues," he said.

"It's entirely appropriate that we should send representatives from Victoria Police."

One policewoman who has attended the conference said that "overall I have been intrigued by the issues discussed and have found it an invaluable experience so far. It's also been great to meet policewomen from other countries and hear their experiences."

The conference, Women Leading Change, began on Sunday and included a fashion parade.

It aims to give police, policymakers, activists and researchers an opportunity to explore how women are driving changes in policing, the opportunities that women's leadership can give policing, and whether that leadership is improving policing for women. Papers have been presented on domestic violence, trafficking women, policing sexual assault and conflict resolution. The conference ends today.

Police work bans begin today as part of police union demands for a 5 per cent pay rise.

The State Government has offered a 3.2 per cent rise, which the union has rejected as "insulting".