PRESS OFFICE
6th March 2014
Police Headquarters
Carleton Hall
Penrith
CA10 2AU
T 01768 217009
www.cumbria.police.uk
@cumbriapolice
/cumbriapolice
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Press Release
Cumbria Constabulary celebrate women in policing
Ahead of International Women’s Day, Cumbria Constabulary is highlighting the
development of attitudes towards women in policing.
Next year marks a hundred years of women in policing however arguably the most
dramatic change in attitudes towards female officers in Cumbria has occurred over the last
25 years.
The force has the highest percentage of female officers in the UK which is 36% and
females make up 40% of the Constabulary’s Police Constables. In the last 10 years the
gender balance in recruiting has been achieved and taking into account that there are has
been at least 20 years’ worth of imbalance, it will take time for females to reach the higher
rank structure. The force currently has a female Assistant Chief Constable, Detective
Superintendent, three Chief Inspectors and eleven Inspectors.
Assistant Chief Constable Michelle Skeer joined Cumbria Constabulary in February 1990
having completed a degree course in History and Media at Leeds. In 1998 she became the
second female Detective Sergeant at that time in the force; this is in the context of the ratio
of male to female officers in the force at the time. Mrs Skeer was appointed Assistant Chief
Constable in 2009, she is the Chair of the Constabulary Valuing Individuals Group which
brings together all of the Constabulary’s support groups representing all diverse groups
with a focus on internal issues.
ACC Skeer said: “When I first started there were a lot more male officers on uniform patrol
shifts than female. However I have to say from personal experience I didn’t receive any
discrimination due to gender, although it was unusual for officers to join with a university
degree, and it was even commented on during my interview to join the police. This is in
contrast to where the Constabulary stands today where we are actually in collaboration
with the local University.
“The changes in attitudes during my career have been much-needed and welcomed. If you
look at our recruitment, the number of women applying for the role of Police Officer seems
to increase on each recruitment drive.
“I believe that we will continue to see more women in higher ranking roles as their service
profile increases, as they certainly have the talent. Twenty years ago there was no such
thing as flexible working, part time, job share or career break. Now officers male and
female can resume their careers after having a family or if they have other caring
responsibilities. We are much more able to accommodate a balance of officer’s needs and
the needs of the organisation.
“As an organisation we can’t be complacent just because we are starting to see a number
of women rising through the ranks. Attitudes have changed but discrimination can still
occur, it would be unwise not to recognise this. The Constabulary continues to encourage
and promote equal opportunities for all.”
Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner Richard Rhodes said: “I wholeheartedly
support the Constabulary’s commitment to diversity and equality, and would echo Mrs
Skeer’s view that there is no room for complacency. Whilst these case studies illustrate
how attitudes to women in policing have changed for the better over the years, the force
must continue to tackle discrimination and proactively seek to promote a culture that
makes discrimination of any type wholly unacceptable and be clear that any such
behaviour will not be tolerated.”
Cumbria Constabulary is committed to ensuring that the force represents the community in
which it serves and is of the belief that individual difference brings a wider breadth of
experience and skill to a policing service.
Case Studies
West Cumbria Chief Inspector Mairi Stamper
Mairi joined Cumbria Constabulary in September 1985 as a Police Constable. She is
currently the West Cumbria Chief Inspector. During her career Mairi has experienced
varying levels of discrimination due to her gender. From being asked an inappropriate
question in her interview for the role of a PC, to being asked to prove herself once
returning to work following the birth of her first child. Mairi was also the first Cumbria
Constabulary officer to payback her pension contributions following her maternity leave.
Mairi said: “In my interview for the role of a PC in 1985, one of the questions that I was
asked was what made me think I would stay in the job longer than five years. The panel
wanted to know that I wouldn’t end up starting a family and not returning like the majority
of women did at that time, their attitude being why they should invest in me because I was
a woman who may become pregnant at some stage. This is just one example that
highlights the attitudes around women in policing back in 1985. We have come a long way
since then.
“In 1991 when I had my first child, I was asked to prove myself as female officers tended to
not return after having children. This hurt me as I had already given six years’ service only
to be asked to prove myself once again. Back then this was the attitude towards women
who were trying to have a policing career and a family; it certainly wasn’t welcomed.
Attitudes have clearly changed as the norm is now for women to continue with their
careers as well as having a family.
“Policing is a 24 hour-a-day, seven days-a-week business; however the shift patterns and
job roles could be more flexible, especially to those officers where child care can be an
issue. I believe there needs to be a push nationally for a change in the shift patterns,
especially in regards to job share between partners. If this could be reached it may go
some way to restoring the balance between a male and female officer and their
opportunities to progress whilst raising a family.”
Furzana Nazir, Detective Inspector
Furzana joined Cumbria Constabulary as a Special Constable in 1992 and in the following
year became a Police Constable. She is currently the Detective Inspector in the South
Cumbria Public Protection Unit. Furzana is an Asian female and in her 22 year association
with the force she has experienced varying levels of gender and ethnic discrimination.
Furzana said: “I have felt there has been discrimination made against me on various
occasions. However these were dealt with, I was fully supported by the internal support
group and the Constabulary. I believe that discrimination still occurs to all diversity strands,
not just gender; however I am confident that this is acted upon by the force when it
happens. Overt discrimination is something the organisation will not tolerate, however
covert discrimination is a bit harder to spot and therefore difficult to deal with, the internal
support group and the Constabulary continue to work together in order to develop policies,
procedures and encourage a better working environment for those from diverse groups.
“I do believe in redressing the balance of men and women in all roles throughout the
constabulary however this must happen ethically and be based purely on merit, rather than
a woman been put in a role as a token gesture.
“When I first applied to specialise in CID, some colleagues remarked that I would get the
job at the time because I was a woman and there was a push to get more women in that
area. In a way I was fortunate that I was unsuccessful, I continued to apply for posts and a
few years later I was finally successful, this made me feel like I had got the job on merit
plus I could challenge those should it be raised that I got the role because of my gender.
“I feel passionate about leaving a future behind, I actively speak to and encourage diverse
groups and females to join the organisation and I continue to support others within the
force through unofficial mentoring. Progression is something that should be available to
everyone regardless of their gender or ethnicity. When we start to see more women in key
roles, they must be approachable in order to inspire other women to emulate their
success.”
PC Shirley Murray, Special Constabulary and Police Support Volunteers
Coordinator
Shirley joined Cumbria Constabulary in April 1992 as a Police Constable. Shirley has been
in her current role as the force’s Special Constabulary and Police Support Volunteers
Coordinator for three years. Shirley believes that she joined as attitudes had started to
change both in policing and in society. In 2013 she won an award in the Leadership
category of the British Association of Women Policing awards.
Shirley said: "I felt lucky in some ways that I started as attitudes began to change. That's
not to say things were perfect, derogatory terms were passed off as banter but there were
some older male officers who believed women shouldn't be police officers. They had the
attitude that why should the force invest in women when they will only go off and get
pregnant. Some women wouldn't want to challenge this behaviour as they didn't want to be
seen as a trouble-maker.
"It was tough for women especially those who wanted to have children. In 1996 when I
became pregnant, it was a slow process to find alternative work. They just weren't geared
up for it. A lot of women would feel they had to make the choice between being a mother
and being an officer.
"However that said it was between 1996 and 1998 where I felt personally, things changed
dramatically and that policing came out of the dark. Flexible working came in for those who
had children, the uniform changed and more importantly so did the attitudes as the older
generation departed.
"More and more women are now joining the police and that can only be healthy as it
makes the force much more representative. I remember that on one occasion in 1994, I
was the only female officer on a shift in the whole of West Cumbria. I only realised when I
was called to do a strip search of a woman in custody and I was told I was the only female
officer on duty.
"There is still much that needs to be done. Working needs to be more flexible so those that
do have children still have the chance to develop and progress. In my opinion the force
can miss out on talented women with key skills as they have less chance to progress when
they have children."
Jane Sauntson, Director of Corporate Improvement
Jane joined Cumbria Constabulary from the private sector in 2001 and has held her
current role as Director of Corporate Improvement since 2012. Jane is the force’s only
female director.
Jane said: “I don’t feel that I’ve been discriminated against because of my gender during
my time at the Constabulary.
"In fact I would say that it was tough for a woman to be successful in the private or public
sector during the late seventies when I started working - but things have changed
dramatically since then. Juggling childcare or other caring responsibilities and work is
always difficult, but we offer flexible and supportive working arrangements for all officers
and staff wherever we possibly can.
"I believe in time we will see more women in the higher positions in the force as they start
to progress because of their abilities and talent. The force has a number of examples of
successful women and we need to raise awareness to give women confidence that they
can have a successful career here too."
Sarah Dimmock, Diversity Manager
Sarah joined Cumbria Constabulary in July 2005 after previously working for Carlisle City
Council. In her role as Diversity Unit Manager, Sarah is the lead on force policies and
procedures surrounding discrimination. She is an active supporter of the rights of all
officers and staff no matter their gender, race or sexuality.
She is also the North West Regional Representative and a committee member of the
British Association for Women in Policing (BAWP), in this role she attends quarter-year
meetings as the lead on diversity and is due to write an article on the Menopause Action
Group.
Sarah said: ”I joined the BAWP as I believed my life experiences had something to offer
the committee. The role gives me a great insight into the development of women in
policing through time.
“During my time at Cumbria Constabulary there has been a noticeable change in attitudes
toward women police officers. There is a growing belief in the force that an officer’s
gender, race or sexuality has no impact whatsoever on their capacity to do the job.”
Sarah believes that through time Cumbria Constabulary and forces nation-wide will
continue to see more women appointed in the highest-ranking roles.
She added: “One aspect that we will see change is the number of women officers
attempting to move up the policing ranks and having the belief that they will not be
overlooked for the top jobs due to their gender.”
End