Punjab Police Launches Statewide Initiative to Empower Women Officers and Strengthen Gender-Sensitive Policing
Senior officers were urged to mentor women colleagues while encouraging their professional growth within the force.
Punjab Police Launches Statewide Initiative to Empower Women Officers and Strengthen Gender-Sensitive Policing
The Punjab Police has rolled out its initiative for gender-sensitive policing. It launched a statewide initiative – the Mainstreaming of Women Police at the Punjab Police Academy (PPA), Phillaur on December 2–4, 2025. According to Punjab Police officials, it was aimed at strengthening the role and integration of women officers across Punjab.
A senior official at the Punjab Police Academy said that during the first phase of this initiative, roughly 60 master trainers – senior police officers drawn from 13 districts, four from each – attended a three-day “Training of Trainers” (ToT) programme. These officers will now carry the baton forward and will deliver training across their respective districts.
According to the academy spokesperson, the training is not just a formality. The curriculum includes modules on gender sensitisation towards shaping a modern “police persona” and on building capacity for justice delivery to underserved communities. It also addresses strategies to overcome traditional barriers that women officers face in a predominantly male profession. Senior officers were urged to mentor women colleagues while encouraging their professional growth within the force.
The plan covers 384 police stations across Punjab under the broader national women help-desk programme, which is already in place to ensure that two women officers are deployed at every station. Additionally, the authorities have signed an MoU with a renowned research organisation, J-PAL, to conduct evidence-based assessments (via RCTs) to know more about the efficiency of these measures, the official said.
According to experts, this initiative by Punjab Police is a meaningful step for a society where gender stereotypes still impact careers and institutions. By institutionalising gender sensitisation, encouraging mentorship, and bringing scientific evaluation into the work, the project can bring a real shift for women officers to grow and for the policing system to become more responsive, inclusive, and fairer.
Analysts suggest that as Punjab takes this bold step, other states and perhaps different institutions beyond policing might take note.
Source: Times of India