A conference aimed at bringing together female police officers has been hailed a great success. Around 160 female police officers came together for the first Kent Network of Women conference held at The Village Hotel in Sandling on Tuesday, 23 November.
The conference was a result of the work carried out by the Gender Action Group whose aims include generating a thriving police organisation which supports women officers and staff in achieving their full potential and their full contribution to policing. The day was opened by ACC Allyn Thomas and facilitated by Kent Police’s dedicated Diversity Manager, Wendy Tull.
The delegates were then given the opportunity to share in the experiences of inspirational speakers such as Chief Superintendent Suzette Davenport of West Mercia Constabulary. Chief Superintendent Davenport is also Vice President of the BAWP (British Association of Women in Policing). She spoke of the importance of enabling minority groups to be given the opportunities that majority groups have automatically.
This was followed by a presentation from Chief Superintendent and Chair of the Gender Action Group, Jan Stephens on the Kent Perspective. She pointed out that 22% of serving police officers in Kent were women, and women represent 15% of all officers who have reached the rank of Sergeant or above. Chief Supt. Stephens then spoke of how the conference had developed as a result of the work carried out by the Gender Action Group, she said: “The development of a ‘Kent Network of Women’ is viewed as a positive step forward to assist women in reaching their full potential. A modern responsive police service needs the range of viewpoints and experience that only a balanced workforce can supply. This will ensure our policies and the way we operate as a force, reflect the needs of a modern society.
“The KNOW aims to show that Kent Police consistently values its women officers and provides them with an influential voice as well as identifying and discussing professional issues common to women in the workforce. It is intended for the network to offer a self supporting facility for all female members of staff to enable them to excel and maximise their self confidence and personal development.”
The audience were also impressed by speakers such as Irene Divine, National co-ordinator, BAWP and enjoyed the workshop run by Kim Lydden MBA who is an International and Certified Trainer, Leadership Development Consultant and Executive and Personal Coach. Chief Constable Michael Fuller officially closed the day. He said: “I fully support the Gender Action Group and the work they undertake and I see this conference as another excellent opportunity to promote equality within Kent Police. I am committed to progressing all issues of diversity, and creating an environment where all our staff feel supported and valued. This will benefit not only the needs of individuals, but also our organisation and the community we serve”.
The KNOW will be a dynamic network, which is being developed one step at a time. Initially KNOW will mainly involve police officers but intends to include all staff soon. Associate membership will be open to men who support the network.
Many commented on how they thought the workshops were ‘inspiring’ and were influenced by the coaching and motivational speeches which showed people how to develop the insight, skills and confidence to take the necessary steps to move to the next level of personal and professional fulfilment. Chief Superintendent Jan Stephens said:
“I was pleased by the encouraging number of people who attended as we reached our full capacity of 160 delegates. Judging by the feedback I have received I feel the conference was an outstanding success. The comments from the attendees were extremely positive and clearly defined a need for The Kent Network of Women to continue to develop.
“Delegates demonstrated real enthusiasm and commitment to the day. A significant amount of constructive ideas and issues were raised during the workshops, along with the willingness and energy to take these issues forward. There was a genuine and positive attitude towards wanting to make Kent Police a better place to work for all staff.
“Women are a minority within the Police Service and therefore do not generally have the opportunity of meeting and networking with large numbers of other women. The conference provided this opportunity and people were able to network with other women and raise and discuss common issues. I am certain the conference has generated enough momentum to allow the Network to develop and grow.”
The KNOW is a dynamic network, which is being developed one step at a time. Initially KNOW will mainly involve police officers but intends to include all staff soon. Associate membership will be open to men who support the network.
Four women in the KNOW
CI Ali Roden
Chief Insp. Ali Roden (37) currently works at Medway and has 17-years of service under her belt. Her past roles include working on the Firearms Response Team, often attending critical incidents over Kent. On promotion to Chief Inspector, Ali was moved to the Force Communication Centre, Maidstone.
Ali has predominantly spent all of her service in uniform and has a strong operational background. She is a firearms commander, public order trained, football match commander and has policed numerous large football matches at both Aston Villa and Medway. She is also the Deputy Co-ordinator for Hostage Negotiation and is trained to a national level along with being trained in kidnap and extortion.
An active member of the Gender Action Group she is keen to help the organisation to generate a thriving police organisation that supports female staff in achieving their full potential. CI Roden took on the challenging role of chairing the working group who organised the Kent Network of Women Conference. She said:
“I believe that the launch of the network demonstrates that Kent Police is committed to recognising and valuing diversity within the organisation. Thankfully the days of having to submit a written report before female officers could wear trousers have gone. However, we must not be complacent there is still much to be done, that said the future is promising”.
CI Gill Ellis
CI Gill Ellis is a working mum who has been a police officer for just under 17-years working for both Kent and Surrey Police. During her time with Kent she has championed the roles of Custody Sergeant, Community Inspector, Intelligence Unit Detective Inspector and Section Inspector. Gill is keen to support KNOW saying:
“KNOW will be able to give women in the organisation a recognised and united voice which will be listened to by those in positions of influence. KNOW will be the catalyst to affect positive change for issues affecting predominantly women but also men in the organisation. Also, the organisation will benefit from being able to effectively and speedily cascade information to all its female staff via an established and effective network.”
Supt. Joanna Young
Area Commander for Canterbury, Joanna Young is a married mother of three children (aged 5, 11 and 13-years-old). She has 20-years of service and spent the majority of her career with the Metropolitan Police before transferring to Kent. She has a wide range of experience, with much of her time being spent in operational policing though she has also worked in training and community work. She has also worked as a superintendent responsible for liaison with the Metropolitan Police Authority, The Mayors Office, The Greater London Authority and Parliament.
As a member of the MPS Association of Senior Women Officers she assisted in setting up the National Senior Women Officers Conference in London in 2003. She said:
“'When all Kent Police staff are empowered to perform to their true potential then everyone, their colleagues, the public, our partners, will visibly notice the difference; in attendance management, recruitment and retention, work life balance and performance, and attitude which is to everyone’s benefit.
“If we get it right for women we will get it right for all. The KNOW will empower women to constructively raise the issues having a detrimental effect on them (and hence performance) and enable it to be progressed and resolved.”
DCI Anne Brittain
DCI Anne Brittain is currently a Senior Investigating Officer in Major Crime Department. She is married and has been a police officer for 24-years. After spending her first five years on operational patrol she went on to develop her career in various criminal investigation departments across Kent. On promotion to Chief Inspector she spent two years as Area Crime Manager at Ashford before taking up her current specialist role. She said:
“The KNOW provides a support mechanism for women which encourages the identification and awareness of issues affecting women and a channel to drive those issues forward. It will also assist women in developing to their potential whether their aspirations are promotion, specialisation or just performing to the best of their ability.
It is important that members of the Police Service reflect the communities which we serve, and therefore women play a valuable part in policing. The network will assist the force to provide the necessary support to women which will better equip them to fulfil their important role within the policing of Kent.”
Media enquiries phone (01622) 652230/1/2/3
Media Services, Kent Police HQ, Sutton Road,
Maidstone, Kent ME15 9BZ
Switchboard: (01622) 690690 Fax: (01622) 652229
www.kent.police.uk
|
