CEPOL’s Executive Director gives a keynote speech at the "Police is a Woman" conference

The event held at the Polish Senate, the upper house of parliament, marked the 100th jubilee of women in the Polish police. The Senate Speaker Małgorzata Kidawa-Błońska, the Minister of Internal Affairs and Administration, Tomasz Siemoniak, and the Commander-in-Chief of the Polish police General Marek Boroń, along with the executive directors of CEPOL and Europol, opened the conference taking place on the 26 February.

“As a woman, the Executive Director of CEPOL, and a Commissioner of the Spanish National Police, this topic is particularly close to my heart,” told the audience gathered to commemorate the establishment of the Women’s Police Montserrat Marin López. “While women have gained significant ground in law enforcement, disparities remain,” she remarked. 

Achieving true equity requires addressing both institutional and cultural barriers. European police forces must continue implementing diversity strategies, revising outdated promotion systems, and strengthening leadership training programs to ensure fair opportunities for all officers. Furthermore, police organisations should proactively address resistance to female integration by tailoring inclusion policies to different representation levels. Ensuring sustained cultural change will be essential in fostering an equitable work environment for future generations.

The Executive Director of CEPOL concluded on an optimistic note. “As we move forward, let us work together to create police organisations that reflect the diversity of our societies and leverage the strengths of all officers, regardless of gender,” she called forth.

During the conference's first panel, entitled "Police is a woman - the past, the present, the future," the history and the most significant changes were presented. Stanisława Paleolog, the first female graduate of the Polish Police Officers’ School, was honored, highlighting her role in organising the women’s police force and her service in the Polish resistance during World War II.

Followed by the parade drill show performed by female officers and students from uniformed police classes, the representatives from the police in Sweden, Estonia, France, and Lithuania discussed their experiences in the "Women's policing in Europe and the world" panel.