myAIPMInnovation and Transparency in the Recruitment of Women in Australian Policing
Aiyana Ward, Tim Prenzler and Jacqueline Drew | Police Practice and Research
Abstract
This paper reviews developments in gender equity-oriented recruitment policies in Australian policing between 2015 and 2019. Findings cover the six state, one federal and one territory police departments. The study was prompted by media reports on affirmative action initiatives, especially the introduction of recruitment targets. The primary aim was to identify successful or promising strategies to increase the number of female officers, with possible transferable lessons. A secondary aim was to assess the level of accountability in terms of public reporting by police about methods and outcomes. The main finding was that four of the eight departments had introduced explicit 50:50 male-female recruitment targets, and five departments had been operating female targeted recruitment campaigns. The majority of departments with targeted campaigns recorded large increases in female recruit numbers, although within the study time frame only one showed a clear flow-through to substantially increased officer numbers. Overall, there was a lack of adequate data, including male-female application numbers; and information about selection criteria was inadequate. The personal commitment and discretion of police commissioners appeared to be a key factor in the adoption of affirmative action initiatives. These findings provide valuable lessons for improved police performance and accountability in gender equity across the world.
Introduction
This study was prompted by reports in the Australian media, beginning in 2015, regarding major gender equity initiatives in policing, mainly in the areas of recruitment ‘targets’ – including references to ‘quotas’ – and targeted recruitment campaigns (e.g., Allen & Sibthorpe, 2017; Foster, 2017; Lillebuen, 2017; Panahi, 2016; Rice, 2015; Webb, 2015). Several Australian police departments have been seen as leaders in the employment of female police officers at different times, most notably New South Wales in the 1980s, and Tasmania and Queensland in the 1990s; while Western Australia and Victoria were notable laggards for many decades (Prenzler, 2015). However, there was an observable convergence in policies and practices across all eight departments in the 2010s, centred on a fundamental commitment to appointment by merit, non-discrimination and equality of opportunity. Policies sought to encourage and support women (and other ‘minority’ groups) through fairly passive measures such as inclusive advertising, representative selection panels, anti-discrimination and anti-harassment rules and training, promotion workshops for women and flexible employment (Prenzler, 2015; Prenzler & Drew, 2013). More developed affirmative action practices – such as intake quotas or targeted advertising – oriented more towards ‘equality of outcomes’, were generally eschewed. Media reports of ‘targets’ and ‘quotas’ therefore represented a major departure from established conventions. Consequently, the authors decided to examine public source material about changes to police recruitment policies with the aim of identifying and explaining the origins, methods and impacts of these changes.
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Innovation and Transparency in the Recruitment of Women in Australian Policing, Aiyana Ward, Tim Prenzler and Jacqueline Drew, Police Practice and Research, 2020
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