TEN YEARS EUROPEAN NETWORK OF POLICEWOMEN

• PREFACE
  
• INTRODUCTION
  
• GENERAL INFORMATION
  
• INTERNAL ORGANISATION
  
• FINANCE
  
• AN OVERVIEW OF ALL ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST TEN YEARS
  
• TRAINING and RESEARCH
  
• NETWORKS / COUNTRY ACTIVITIES
  
• PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING
  
• VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
  

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PREFACE

When I took on the Presidential role for the ENP in March 1997 I had very little knowledge of the organisation, but had heard very positive things about its achievements and future plans. I thought it was an ideal opportunity to become part of the European environment and to really achieve something on behalf of policing organisations throughout the European arena.

The first Executive Board meeting was a novel experience for us all. We were a disparate group, meeting for the first time. Not only did we have a significant amount of business to deal with but we had to quickly get together as a team and get to know each other. A task made more difficult because we all came from different countries, cultures and policing organisations.

The first few meetings were very difficult. We had a financial shortfall to remedy and we were constantly evolving as a group and as individuals. Our grit, determination, enthusiasm and professionalism stood us in good stead. We now have more supporting members and financial support than ever before, we are recognised for our expertise across Europe and are in constant demand to work with a wide variety of organisations. We are constantly developing and evolving.

The survival of the ENP depends very much on continued encouragement from our supporting members, increased membership and financial backing from government sources. It will also depend on the enthusiasm of our General and Executive Board members, who only exist because of the generosity of their parent organisations.

It is now a decade since the inception of the ENP and I will be relinquishing my Presidency. I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has given so much. I am extremely proud of what we have achieved and of the people I have worked with over the past two years. They are friendships I will always value. I have great hopes for the ENP far into the new millennium.

Judy Davison
Acting Assistant Commissioner City of London Police, England
President of the European Network of Policewomen from March 1997 to April 1999

INTRODUCTION

This document not only presents to you the annual report 1998 but also gives you a ten-year report (1998 - 1999) of the activities of the European Network of Policewomen (ENP). 1999 is the year the ENP has its tenth anniversary, which is why we feel it is important that we not only look back on the year 1998, but that we look further back and reflect on all ten years that are behind us. In this way a picture will be unfolded as we celebrate the development and growth of our dynamic organisation.

The sections of this report are:

We hope that you will find this report interesting and perhaps inspiring and that some of the additional photos will take you back in time, and hopefully they will act as a stimulus and a source of motivation for the future.

We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all those organisations and individual policewomen and -men who have made the ENP the organisation it is right now. Without their continuous support in the past ten years it would have been almost impossible to accomplish all of what has been achieved. This support and co-operation will remain of the utmost importance in the future. The ENP sincerely hopes that the many fruitful partnerships will continue to exist as the next decade of growth and development is entered.

GENERAL INFORMATION

BOARD

The first board was appointed in 1989 after the foundation of the European Network of Policewomen. All members of the board came from the Netherlands. This board consisted of Nienke Feenstra (President), Catharina van Lenteren, Jet van Maanen-Hoving, Frans-Jan Mulschlegel, Annique Smit and Carla de Vries-Bauer. In the beginning of 1991 the positions of Annique Smit and Catharina van Lenteren were taken over by Felicitas Duyvesteijn and Carla Hoekstra. In 1993 Frans-Jan Mulschlegel left the Executive Board.

Owing to its success and growth during its first five years it became necessary to change the constitution. In 1994 the ENP became a foundation under the Dutch law and as such this meant that the ENP became a non-profit making body. The foundation has a General Board from which an Executive Board is chosen. The responsibility of the daily activities of the ENP Head Office lies with the Director.

Every organisation based in one of the countries represented by the Council of Europe is eligible to be represented on the ENP board, provided its objectives are identical or similar to those of the ENP (optimising the position of women in the European police services). The new board was established in November 1994 when it met in Brussels and 14 European countries were represented. From the General Board, five persons were chosen for the Executive Board.

The first international Executive Board consisted of Sally Hubbard (President) from the United Kingdom, Nienke Feenstra (Vice-President) from the Netherlands, Ilse van de Keere (Treasurer) from Belgium, Viviane Eschenauer (Secretary) from Luxembourg and Elke Friedrich (Member) from Germany. This Executive Board functioned in its entirety from November 1994 to March 1997.

In March 1997 the second international General and Executive Board was elected and 17 countries were represented on the newly elected General Board.

The second international Executive Board consisted of Judy Davison (President) from the United Kingdom, Carla Hoekstra (Vice-President) from the Netherlands, Francine Biot (Treasurer) from Belgium, Andrée Colas (Secretary) from Luxembourg, Birgit Horländer (Member) from Germany and Mary Fitzgerald (Member) from Ireland. This Executive Board has functioned from March 1997. A new General and Executive Board will be elected at the General Board Meeting of 21st April, 1999, which precedes the first ENP Networking Conference in Brussels, Belgium.

Besides the General and Executive Boards, the ENP has country contact persons in almost every European country. These country contact persons fulfill a special role towards the ENP. First, they are mentioned in the ENP Newsletter and other publications so that people can contact them direct to obtain more information. Secondly, they are used by the ENP Head Office to obtain specific information about their country. Additionally, the ENP provides those country contact persons with more extended information (such as all reports of board meetings) to enable them to have access to relevant and important information.

INTERNAL ORGANISATION

Permanent staff employees

When the ENP was originally founded in 1989 MarJan Stolwerk was appointed the first coordinator. She worked 16 hours per week, however, owing to the increasing amount of work, it was extended to 24 hours per week. In 1991 when MarJan left, the new coordinator, Anita Hazenberg, started but still only working 24 hours per week. At that time four hours per week secretarial support was given by the LSP (Dutch national support point for policewomen’s networks).

At the beginning of 1993 the hours of the coordinator were increased to a 36-hour week and a secretary Angelique van der Kraan-Samson was appointed working 16 hours a week. In 1993 Angelique was replaced by Annette Kroeze, who now worked 32 hours per week at the ENP Head office. In the meantime the post of coordinator changed to that of director.

In 1995 Francie van de Beek took over the secretary’s job from Annette Kroeze. One year later, in 1996 both director and secretary were now recognised fulltime jobs and they were working 38 hours per week.

At the beginning of 1997, after almost six years working for the ENP, Anita Hazenberg left the organisation and recruitment for a new director began. Following an extended, international recruitment procedure, the new and present director, in September 1997, Trudy Manders, was appointed.

The increase in activities had necessitated a restructuring of the ENP Head Office. A part-time secretary, Els de Bruin, was appointed and Francie van de Beek was promoted to office manager. Francie was given increased responsibilities in the coordination/organisation of conferences; financial and public relations arenas. Since 1998 there have been no further alterations to the full-time staff positions.

Temporary attachments

To give the administration of the European activities of the ENP a truly international character, at the beginning of 1995 attachments of police officers from other countries to the Head Office, commenced. The temporary members of staff worked on special projects. An overview of all attachments until 1999 can be found below:

Carol Ormiston from the United Kingdom January - November 1995
The United Kingdom took the lead and seconded policewoman Carol Ormiston from the Metropolitan Police in London to the ENP Head Office. Besides joining the ENP delegation for the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women in China she was responsible for the coordination and execution of the research: Women in European Policing, what’s it all about?’.

Andrea Seres from Hungary July 1995 - January 1996
In her six months attachment Andrea Seres coordinated and organised the conference: Policing in East European democracies, a challenge for women’. Besides this she was liaison-officer for the partnership project between Dutch and Hungarian police forces.

Helene Görtzen from Sweden January - September 1996
Helene Görtzen was the conference coordinator for the international police training conference which took place in Birmingham, United Kingdom, in September 1996. This conference was a joint event of the ENP and the IAWP (International Association of Women Police).

Ingeborg Hofstede from the Netherlands August 1996 - August 1997
Ingeborg Hofstede was particularly involved in the organisation of a working conference for police unions and equal opportunities which took place in Majorca, Spain, in November 1996 and of the first European conference for female managers within the police which took place in Stavanger, Norway, in May 1997. She also contributed at management level in a variety of projects which lead to her taking up the job of temporary director in 1997.

Anna Shunkova from Russia August 1996 - February 1997
During her attachment Anna Shunkova investigated the structure of various European police services and the role and responsibility of the police related to violence against women in a number of European countries. This resulted in a report entitled: Violence against women and the role of the police’.

Karina Gütges from Germany February - October 1997
Karina Gütges was particularly involved in research into the working conditions of policewomen in the former East German State Countries and she made a comparison between their situation before and after the dissolution of a divided Germany. One of the follow-up results of this research was a conference for policewomen which took place in December 1998 in Meiningen, Germany.

Måns Enqvist from Finland October - December 1997
Måns Enqvist was involved in international research into equal opportunities programmes of a number of European police services in order to develop such a programme in Finland. In addition he was member of the project group for the bi-annual ENP conference, which has taken place in September 1998 in Tampere, Finland.

Ruud Koopman from the Netherlands September 1998 - September 2000
Ruud Koopman is attached to the Head Office on a part-time basis (two days a week) and he is involved in developing and coordinating a project in order to find out what qualities the national networks need to be able to fulfil ENP’s future objectives and to examine if present national networks have these qualities, or indeed, are able to acquire them.

Sandra Hübsch from Austria November 1998 - January 1999
Michael Kopp from Austria January - March 1999
Sandra Hübsch and Michael Kopp worked together on a comparison study looking at police organisations in five European countries in order to establish mutual standards. Ranks and positions in the uniformed police were compared, especially related to the position of women within the police organisation.

Organisations and/or individuals interested in an attachment to the ENP can contact the head office for more information.

FINANCE

This report shows that the ENP, in its ten years of existence, has developed a great number of products and has organised numerous activities. The ENP concludes that step by step in a growing number of countries more attention is focused on the position of the woman in the police service. The ENP supports this development professionally. It holds a coordinating, stimulating and advising position which is implemented from an independent point of view.

The activities of the ENP cost money. In the first ten years of its existence the main income for the ENP was realised by the continuous support of the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations. The annual subsidy received from this Ministry increased from an amount of Dfl. 120,500.00 in the foundation year 1989 to an amount of Dfl. 258,000.00 in the year 1999. This subsidy has been of the utmost importance for the existence of the ENP and for all activities which have taken place.

It cannot be expected that the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations continues to pay all of the costs of a European organisation. It has become necessary for other European countries to give substantial contributions to the ENP. That is one of the reasons why the ENP has continuously looked to police(-related) organisations over the past years for financial support. Many supporting members have been found in this way and they have realised an increasing financial amount for the ENP. Furthermore, they have become essential for ENP’s existence. It is therefore imperative, that there is a continuation of this support and if possible even an increase for this will enable the ENP to carry on with its activities and grow to an even more professional organisation in the field of equal opportunities within European police services. A list of all supporting members of the past ten years can be found further on.

Besides this a lot of support has been received in kind, either by national police organisations which, sometimes partly, took care of the organisation of conferences and seminars or by attaching police officers to the ENP head office. This support has not only been essential with regards to the financial benefits for the ENP but also from the interaction and exchange of experiences which have been invaluable.

Apart from the above, subsidy money was received from the European Union for the bi-annual conferences in Bramshill (1992), Brussels (1994) and Finland (1998). This subsidy money enabled the ENP to organise these conferences in a more professional way. Moreover, incidental subsidy money from the Council of Europe was received for delegates from the former Warsaw Pact countries attending conferences and seminars.

A list of all supporting members of the first ten years of ENP’s existence can be found below:

AN OVERVIEW OF ALL ACTIVITIES IN THE PAST TEN YEARS

CONFERENCES and SEMINARS

There is no better way to establish contacts, to really experience support between networkers’ and to exchange knowledge and experiences than through personal meetings. In the first ten years of its existence the ENP organised a large number of international conferences and seminars. An overview of these can be found below.

BI-ANNUAL CONFERENCES

One of ENP’s key activities has been to organise bi-annual international policewomen’s conferences. In the first ten years of ENP’s existence five of these conferences have taken place:

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE FOR POLICEWOMEN 19-23 March 1989, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands
This was the conference at which the ENP was founded. It was the first time a European conference for policewomen was organised and there were approximately 320 participants representing 40 countries from around the world.

QUALITY THROUGH EQUALITY 23-27 March 1992, Bramshill, England
Approximately 300 participants representing various countries discussed equal opportunities during this conference. Main theme was how to recruit women, how to keep them and what changes are required to offer them equal opportunities.

POLICE=WO/MEN=QUALITY=SERVICE 21-24 November 1994, Brussels, Belgium
Over 400 participants from 16 countries attended this conference. Like the two first bi-annual conferences this conference demonstrated the potential of networking by enabling police officers from different countries to compare rates of progress towards integration, contrast approaches to common problems and to develop new ideas about tackling operational emergencies. One of the conference conclusions was that women should accept their history of past struggles but that they should not live in the past. The work of the ENP invites the sharing of responsibility to construct a new model of policing. The Belgian conference offered an opportunity through which men and women were able to make their respective contributions to this building process.

INTERNATIONAL POLICE TRAINING CONFERENCE 31 August - 5 September 1996,
Birmingham, England
Almost 600 policewomen and -men from over 40 countries gathered for this conference, which was the first joint event of the ENP and the International Association of Women Police (IAWP). A wide range of workshops and seminars was presented and a truly world-wide interaction and exchange of experiences was achieved by combining the 4th bi-annual ENP conference with the 34th annual IAWP conference. For the first time the European Market was organised, at which all participating countries and/or police organisations were invited to present their police service in the best possible way. Also for the first time the ENP Equal Opportunities Award was awarded to a project from Bedfordshire Police (United Kingdom) called Time-Out’.

FIFTH BI-ANNUAL EUROPEAN POLICEWOMEN’S CONFERENCE 4-7 September 1998, Tampere, Finland
Over 300 delegates representing 18 countries took part in this conference at which workshops on various themes such as trafficking in women, women in management and change processes in the police were presented. Besides attending workshops there was a wide range of networking opportunities for all participants and the European Market was organised for the second time successfully. The second ENP Equal Opportunities Award was won by a project called Operational Support Welcomes Women’ of Northumbria Police in the United Kingdom. The first steps towards creating a Nordic Network of Policewomen were undertaken.

EUROPEAN CAREER DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS

In the years 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998 and 1999 European Career Development Seminars have taken place in the Netherlands. A total of as much as 82 policewomen from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Russia and Sweden participated in this high-quality seminar. The objectives of the seminar were:

The training was intended for women who hold a middle-management or supervisory position within the police services in Europe, or women who were expected to hold such a position in the near future.

CONFERENCES FOR FEMALE MANAGERS WITHIN EUROPEAN POLICE SERVICES

In 1997 and 1998 the ENP has organised high-quality training-conferences for female managers within European police services. Because of the success of these conference, this has become an annual ENP activity. The conferences precede the annual conference of the International Association of Chiefs of Police in order to make it easier for delegates to attend both conferences. In 1999 the ENP conference for female managers within European police services will take place on Friday 7th and Saturday 8th May 1999 in Dublin. A short report on the two previous conferences can be found below.

FIRST CONFERENCE FOR FEMALE MANAGERS WITHIN EUROPEAN POLICE SERVICES 10-11 May 1997, Stavanger, Norway
Approximately 30 women from 12 countries participated and the conference was assessed as very interesting and valuable. The main topic concerned the cultural aspects of being a manager within the police environment. Ideas were shared in working groups and one of the most important outcomes was that the participants were able to realise that others shared similar problems and that they were not isolated.

SECOND CONFERENCE FOR FEMALE MANAGERS WITHIN EUROPEAN POLICE SERVICES 8-9 May 1998, Northumbria (Newcastle upon Tyne), England
A total of 38 women from 11 countries took part. The main theme of the training-conference was the well known management theory of Peter Senge, The Learning Organisation’. Two top consultants were present to provide workshops on the themes learning barriers’ and personal mastery’. Informal networking began in earnest in between the workshops and during dinner and lunch.

WORKING CONFERENCES

In the years in between the bi-annual conferences a number of so-called working conferences has taken place. These working conferences were organised in 1991 (the Netherlands), 1993 (Luxembourg), 1994 (Denmark), 1995 (Germany) and 1997 (Austria). The participants to the conferences were board members, country contact persons and others who have a specific interest in the work of the ENP. These meetings were specifically aimed at: planning activities at national and international level and the exchange of information which lead to development, the question of stagnation and the further expansion of the ENP as a truly international organisation. The working conferences have played an important role, especially when it comes to getting well known and accepted in Europe. The meetings also turned out to be a stimulus for further activities in the various countries. Connected to the last working conference the first International Conference of Policewomen took place in Vienna, Austria, from March 10th and 11th, 1997. About 120 policewomen and -men from 18 countries took part and enjoyed a professional programme of presentations related to equal opportunities in the police organisation.

CONFERENCES ON SPECIAL SUBJECTS

Besides the conferences which are mentioned before and which are part of the structural activity plan of the ENP conferences on special subjects have taken place. An overview thereof can be found below.

Conference on HOW TO COMBAT SEXUAL HARASSMENT WITHIN THE EUROPEAN POLICE SERVICES’, 1-4 December 1993, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands
This conference was the first time that representatives of police and government from thirteen different countries came together officially to discuss this difficult subject. It was held as a result of two independent, scientific studies in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands concerning the prevention of sexual harassment within the police. During the conference it became clear that when people, women and men, discuss what is and is not sexual harassment, emotions tend to run high and confusion on the issue escalates. By most of the participating countries, sexual harassment was recognized as a significant problem in the police service. As the European Commission Code of Practice states, employers have the responsibility to deal effectively with complaints of sexual harassment and to develop a policy of prevention. Aspects of this policy were mentioned and worked out at the conference. One of the conference conclusions was that an effective policy against sexual harassment should be linked to a broader policy directed at improving the position of women in the workplace. Research presented at the conference has shown that sexual harassment occurs less frequently when women are proportionately represented at all job levels. The conference was very successful in promoting know-ledge and expertise and supporting policy-development.

Conference on POLICING IN EAST EUROPEAN DEMOCRACIES: A CHALLENGE FOR WOMEN’, 10-13 December 1995, Budapest, Hungary
Some 30 delegates from eleven countries attended this conference, which aimed to exchange views between police officers from Western European countries and those in the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe. Besides some formal presentations two workshop sessions were organised on violence against women and organised crime. Because this was the first time that policewomen from East-European countries came together a lot of opportunity was given for exchanging experiences. Participants assessed the conference as very successful especially because for the first time they could share ideas and experience that they were not the only ones facing certain problems.

Conference on POLICE UNIONS AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN, 6-9 November 1996, Majorca, Spain
One of the basic principles within the ENP is that there is a continuous search for cooperation with other organisations. The ENP has deliberately looked for cooperation with trade unions or federations, since it is these institutions that are the sparring partners of Ministries and police authorities in the field of terms of employment, employment provisions and working conditions within the police. Therefore the ENP took the initiative to organise this conference, in which 35 people from 12 countries worked intensively on the role of the union or federation on the subject of Equal Opportunities within the police. A presentation was given on the important role, responsibilities and possibilities of the unions in using their specific function in achieving better quality of work for women within the police, followed by an exchange of knowledge and experiences in smaller working groups. The research report Equal Pay / Equal Treatment’ was officially presented and a panel discussion took place. Also a video to raise awareness of fairness and equality issues and the culture within the police concerning sexual harassment was shown and discussed. Finally there was a presentation on the possibilities of how unions can improve the position of women within their own organisation and how to get the subject of equal opportunities on the union’s agenda. Participants developed an action plan and initiatives were taken to have national and international cooperation and a follow-up in the future.

TRAINING and RESEARCH

TRAINING

Network training for Hungarian policewomen, October 1994, Warnsveld, the Netherlands
In 1993 Hungarian Policewomen started their national network, of which the name was later changed into association. Because of the pressures of normal working days, drawing up an action plan for the future was postponed. That is why the ENP took the initiative to organise a five-day network training for 25 Hungarian policewomen. After the training a plan had been devised of the objectives of the Hungarian network and these objectives had been translated into an action plan for the future.

Network training for Polish policewomen, December 1996, Warnsveld, the Netherlands
In December 1996 25 Polish policewomen attended a five-day training session, which was developed by the ENP itself. Like the Hungarian network training the training included theories about working in groups, communication and personal efficiency. Attention was also given to exercises in working together. After the training, the objectives of the Centre for Promotion of Women in the Polish Police’ (the Polish Network of Policewomen) had been determined and translated into an action plan.

RESEARCH (REPORTS)

EQUAL TREATMENT OF POLICEWOMEN IN THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY (1991)

In 1991 the ENP initiated research into the equal treatment of policewomen in the European Community. This research resulted in policewomen in the Netherlands being able to continue receiving their allowance for irregular duties when, because of pregnancy, they are unable to carry out these duties. The research also revealed that policewomen are indirectly discriminated.

WOMEN IN EUROPEAN POLICING, WHAT’S IT ALL ABOUT?’ (1995)
The ENP was asked to investigate what has been developed in the field of training within the various European police forces. To obtain the right research data, visits took place to Belgium, Denmark, France, Hungary, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The information obtained during the visits and interviews was used for a final report. In this report attention is given to legislation concerning equal treatment, historical developments of women within the police in the country concerned, selection criteria used, training, the equal opportunities policy that may or may not exist and a survey of research that is done in the field of women within the police. One of the final conclusions was that within the different training institutes there was hardly any material present or developed to handle the subject women/discrimination.

WORLD-WIDE POLICING: A WOMAN’S AFFAIR!’ (1995)
They went to the police, who listened, but did not hear.
Report of the participation of the ENP delegation to the Fourth United Nations Conference on Women, which was held in September 1995 in Beijing, China. The report includes information on the ENP workshop on the theme Worldwide policing, a woman’s affair!’.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN RUSSIA’ (1996)
This is a report of a multi-disciplinary inventory of means of support with regard to the providers of help and the police in order to combat violence against women.

EQUAL PAY / EQUAL TREATMENT’ (1996)
As a part of the Erasmus exchange programme and at the request of the ENP, students of the University of Utrecht, the Netherlands, undertook exploratory research into the equality of pay for men and women within the police forces in England, Spain, Belgium, France and Denmark. This resulted in the research report Equal Pay / Equal Treatment’, which was presented during the working conference for police unions and equal opportunities in Majorca, Spain, in November 1996. For this report students conducted on the spot research in which they looked at how payment of men and women is arranged both legally and in police regulations and if this is in accordance with EU legislation. The main conclusions of the research were that working part-time is practically impossible in European police forces and that the average European policewoman earns less than the average policeman, generally caused by the fact that women are in lower ranks.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND THE ROLE OF THE POLICE’ (1997)
From August 1996 to March 1997, the Russian policewomen Anna Shunkova was working in the ENP head office. During this time she investigated the structure of various European police forces and the role and responsibility of the police related to violence against women in a number of countries, what resulted in this report.

BATTERED BEATEN BUT NOT BROKEN’ (what the police do to combat violence against women) (1997)
This book was published on the occasion of the international conference Police Combatting Violence Against Women’ that took place in June 1997 in the Netherlands. The author was sent on a journey that took her around the world to investigate how the police combat violence against women. Unfortunately, it turned out that she had set off about fifteen years too soon, for what she discovered were more like the first steps’. These are to be admired and are interesting nonetheless.

POLICE COMBATTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’ (conference report) (1997)
Report of the conference that was held in the Netherlands in June 1997. The report included information on presentations and workshops about violence against women worldwide, prevention thereof and the role of the police.

POLIZISTINNEN VOR UND NACH DER WENDE - EIN VERGLEICH’ (1997)
This research study consisted of examining the working conditions, including equal opportunities, for women in the DDR (former East Germany) compared with their subsequent conditions of service in the present Germany.

FACTS, FIGURES AND GENERAL INFORMATION’ (1989, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998 edition)
The ENP published five editions (in 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1998) of this reference book, which gives a short overview of the history, current demographic data and political system in every European country. It also gives a description of the organisation of the police service and a survey of the position of the women within the police in each country. This way a picture is drawn of the number of women within the police in different European countries, and the conditions under which they work.

Video film EVERYTHING YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT POLICEWOMEN, BUT WHERE AFRAID TO ASK’
This video was produced for the ENP in 1992. This English-language video film (in a subtle way) draws attention to the subject: what kind of duties are performed by women and how do we get women to enter and stay within the police service. The video also points out the importance of national and international cooperation. The film is an excellent means through which the subject women within the police service’ becomes debatable. It also gives information and examples of a woman-friendly policy. The film has been subtitled in Dutch.

NETWORKS / COUNTRY ACTIVITIES

Activities related to national networks of policewomen can be found in this chapter in alphabetical order.

Austria

In Austria from the 1st of March, 1993, the Federal Law for Equal Treatment’ is in operation. In this law it is fixed that in every Ministry a commissioner, person of trust and a working group for equality related questions have to be established. Therefore, in the Austrian Ministry of Interior, a working group for equal treatment was installed, consisting of eight members, two for every section (Federal Police, Federal Gendarmerie, Federal Detective-corps and administration). The two main goals of this working group are to combat sexual discrimination and to promote the advancement of women. For local support in all Austrian regions persons of trust can be appointed by the chief of this working group. The commissioner for equality related questions is appointed by the Minister of Interior for a period of five years. That is why the commissioner is only responsible to the Minister.

Following the First International Conference of Policewomen’ in Austria in March 1997 Austria is included in the ENP General Board. This conference was organised by the working group for equal treatment assisted and supported by the ENP. Future conferences are planned.

At the moment the above mentioned working group together with the contact persons in the police stations all over Austria and other interested persons also form the national network of policewomen. Until now this network has proven to be valuable in dealing with women’s matters, even if it is just in a starting phase.

One of the main advantages of the way in which things are organised in Austria is that police officers who are interested in equality related (international) conferences, seminars and training courses, for example those offered by the ENP, can participate without having to spend too much of their own money. This working group has been officially set up and subsequently oversees participation and costs are paid by the government. The number of female colleagues benefitting of this is increasing slowly but consistently. By the direct support of all Ministers of Interior who are committed to further the integration of equal opportunities all this has been made possible and goals can be achieved more easily.

Besides participating in these (international) conferences, seminars and training courses there is also the possibility of increasing influence nationally by the person responsible for equal treatment. Hardly any decision with regards to the organisation or personnel matters is taken without contacting this person.

Belgium

The Association of Belgian Policewomen was founded during the Third European Conference of Policewomen which took place in Brussels (Belgium) from 22nd to 24th November 1994. This conference was co-organised by the Association of Belgian Policewomen and it was called: Police=Wo/men=Quality=Service’.

From 1996 the Association concentrated its activities from a special home in Brussels which houses most women’s associations in Belgium; this home is called Amazone’.

Publications of the Association of Belgian Policewomen so far are:

Since the European conference of 1994 the Belgian Association has already organised two national conferences on the following themes:

The Belgian Association has also organised a network-day which has taken place on 28 ^th November, 1998.

Besides organising these activities, the Association of Belgian Policewomen participated both on national as well as on international women’s days, lectures about equal opportunities were given in police schools and the Association participated on government level in discussions about policewomen and changes within the Belgian police structure.

Bulgaria

ENP Bulgaria is a young NGO (non governmental organisation) and the first of its kind in Bulgaria. It unites high and low ranking policewomen, both in active and reserve service. ENP Bulgaria was founded in November 1997. The main task so far has been to conduct research into, and analyse, the role of Bulgarian policewomen within the structures of the Ministry of Interior and their public position. The results of this research have provided a background against which a programme for training and advancement of policewomen could be developed and the network strengthened. Although equal opportunities for men and women are embedded in the legislation, the latest statistics indicate that the percentage of women within the police of Bulgaria is still very low, especially in higher ranks. However, the number of women entering the police service is increasing.

In the short period of its existence ENP Bulgaria has been involved in a number of activities, mentioned below:

The European Network of Policewomen and ENP Bulgaria were featured in a number of articles and on national TV. In October 1998 ENP Bulgaria took part in the international conference Women in the 21st century’ which was held in Sofia under the patronage of the Bulgarian First Lady Mrs Antonina Stoyanova and with the honorable participation of the First Lady of the U.S.A. Mrs Hilary Clinton. ENP Bulgaria was represented by its Chair Woman, Mrs Temenoujka Jelyazkova, who was one of the speakers at the conference. Participants were informed of the aims and achievements of the network and the ENP. ENP Bulgaria has been approached by other NGO’s concerning joint projects, for example domestic violence and violence in the work place. A close relationship has also been established with Romani-Dei-Bulgaria’ which is a foundation for the Gypsy community aimed at their social integration.

A joint educational programme has been developed including conducting a series of lectures on topics such as personal and social consequences of drug addiction; AIDS prevention; crime prevention; and identifying young Gypsies who have the potential for a police career. This programme, the first of its kind in Bulgaria, was released as a very ambitious project and huge social implications are anticipated.

ENP Bulgaria is interested in receiving any relevant information on European experiences in this field. Additionally any person or organisation who is able to offer training, advice or other support would be most welcome.

Finland

By the end of 1978 a number of police officers in Tampere decided to invite all Finnish policewomen to Tampere. In those days there were 165 policewomen in Finland and 50 of this number attended the meeting. Owing to the low number of women within the Finnish police, networking between these women was very important and it was the right time to start raising issues on equality with the police service.

After this a meeting was organised every two years. In the beginning these meetings were unofficial but the programme has been very professional all the time. Women have had to participate in their own time and pay their own expenses. But little by little things got better. During the past 20 years the number of policewomen has increased to more than 500 today. The Ministry of Interior has now acknowledged the seminar days as official working/duty days, however, the meetings are still organised informally. At each seminar it is decided who will organise the next one. Together with voluntary policewomen from nearby police districts an organisation committee has been formed. In 1998 the tenth national policewomen’s seminar took place together with ENP’s fifth bi-annual European conference in Tampere.

Recently the Ministry of Interior has been drafting the first police equality plan for Finland and it is now (1999) finished. An equal opportunities study within the Finnish police has just taken place. Moreover the discussion about the role of women within the police organisation has been started at various levels of the organisation. Today a close cooperation with the Ministry exists.

During the ENP conference which took place in 1998 in Tampere the discussion about creating a Nordic Network of Policewomen started which could lead to future developments in this area.

Germany

In 1992 German policewomen came into touch with the ENP in the Netherlands. Organized by a policewoman in Berlin the first meeting with five policewomen took place in which the German Network of Policewomen was founded; this was in October 1993. The first steps of the network were quite difficult, because these five policewomen had to pass through the aims of the new founded network to other policewomen all over Germany. In May 1994 a meeting of representatives for equal rights in the police organisations of Germany took place in Selm-Bork in Nordrhein-Westfalen. By this time the ENP and networking had been introduced to the women who were present by the director of the ENP. In the Summer of 1995 an ENP working conference was organised at the Police University of Baden-Württemberg in Villingen-Schwenningen with participation of European policewomen and following that in 1996 a conference called Networking=United=Reinforced’ and in 1997 a conference called Women – a chance for the police’ were organised. All this time the board members of ENP Germany in cooperation with the members had to do difficult work. Because of the federal system in Germany with individual countries, there are 18 different police organisations all over Germany, with 17 different Ministers of Interior. So at 17 different places ENP aims and the participation of women in the police had and have to be discussed. But nevertheless the network is still growing and becoming more professional. The last event was the first national conference for German policewomen which took place in December 1998 and was called Women in the police - united in the future’. More than 200 policewomen from all over Germany came to the Police University of Thüringen to take part in the conference. The conference was a great success and it will certainly not be the last one. It has already been decided that the next conference will be organised in the year 2000.

Hungary

The Hungarian Association of Policewomen (formerly known as the Hungarian Network of Policewomen) was founded in November 1993. In December 1998 the Hungarian Association of Policewomen had its annual general meeting which was used for evaluating the previous years’ activities and establishing new aims.

During the first five years of its existence the association achieved much for women in the Hungarian police. One of its achievements can be attributed to the increased number of women in the Hungarian Police. Presently, of the total personnel within the Hungarian Police, 25% are women.

It has always been clear that there was a need for an organisation such as the Hungarian Association of Policewomen. The network was pleased to be supported in the early days by one of the partners who played an important role in its’ development, the ENP. In 1993 a group of Hungarian policewomen was encouraged by the ENP to take up the challenge to improve the position of women within the police service. Nowadays an established Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) and an official contract with the Hungarian National Police Headquarters for sponsored activity and leadership exist. Looking back at the activities which have taken place in 1998 one of the notable events is that more companies with sponsored activities were involved for crime prevention initiatives. One of the most successful was a massed brass band concert which included many of the well-known music bands all playing together in Hero’s Square, Budapest. This was a year end’ party and the police undertook a very important role in its organisation.

It has been important that policewomen identify their problems and everybody has been, and still is, fully committed to doing something, no matter how little, to improve their position. Aims can only be achieved slowly and step by step with the hope that one day equal opportunities will be fully integrated into the Hungarian police service. There is a long way to go .

For 1999 new aims have been determined. The Hungarian association will start a working co-operation, or partnership, with a foundation for promoting the role of policewomen. A membership card will be introduced and a magazine will be published covering all of the notable achievements in the first five years. The magazine will be printed in English as well as Hungarian. For Hungary’s neighbouring countries a summary of the key issues will be available in their native language.

In May 1999 a two day training programme will be organised. The crime prevention initiatives and activities connected to the training school year end of will be continued. Additionally, the creation of more new county sections will be encouraged.

Iceland

The Icelandic National Network of Policewomen was founded on the 23rd of March, 1994, and it was named The Terns’. This name was chosen because of the terns (birds) excellent cooperation and solidarity in protecting their nesting place.

The main encouragement for establishing the network came from the ENP.

The main role and objectives of the Icelandic Network of Policewomen were and are:

The Terns made it possible for police officers to work part-time. In 1994 about 41% of all policewomen had left the job after a certain period of time. Today this percentage has decreased to 27%.

In early 1996 the Icelandic Minister of Justice appointed a committee to make proposals to upgrade the status of policewomen and increase their numbers. This committee consisted of five persons, including two representatives from the Terns.

In 1999 72% of all Icelandic policewomen are members of the Terns.

The Netherlands

In a working conference in 1985, organised by the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations, the basis for the foundation of networks for policewomen occurred. In 1987 the Dutch Network of Policewomen was founded to support, coordinate and strengthen the initiatives of the regional networks. The aim was to be active until 1993, when it was hoped that the regional networks would be strong enough to exist independently. However, in that year it was clear that this goal had not been achieved so the National Network of Policewomen remained in existence until 1996. After this date it merged with the National Police Commission on Equal Opportunities which was founded in 1991 to advise the Ministry of Interior about policy concerning policewomen. The new organisation was called the Dutch Foundation for Equal Opportunities within the Police (SPE) and it is subsidised by the Dutch Ministry of Interior and Kingdom Relations. An evaluation of the performance of the SPE will take place in 1999.

Both in the past as well as in the present the Dutch Network of Policewomen advises on the organisation of activities such as working conferences in the regional police forces, on ways to obtain budget for these activities, it offers training courses on different topics, and, what can be seen as its main aim, it strengthens contacts between policewomen. Annually a national conference is organised around topics such as police culture’, flexibility’, and so on. Also a newsletter has been published, which is called Netwerknieuws’.

The network supports its members to participate in international conferences for policewomen and participates in the ENP.

In 1999 there are approximately 20 regional networks of policewomen in the Netherlands. The coordinators of these regional networks come together five times a year to exchange ideas, brainstorm and get support in their work. Possibly in a new organisation the Dutch National Network of Policewomen will continue its activities into the millennium as well.

Poland

The Polish police knows the Centre of Promotion of Women’, which was founded in 1996 and registered on the 28th of May, 1997. The Centre is situated in the city of Wroclaw, where President Irena Dykier lives. Members of the Centre, which functions as the national network of policewomen, come from police headquarters all over the country and from all police schools. The main focus of the Centre is directed toward the following topics:

The Centre organised two international conferences in the past years and several meetings which dealt with problems of Polish policewomen. Cooperations exist with the International Forum of Women in Warsaw, with the Association of Active and Creative Women in Wroclaw and with female members of the Parliament.

The Centre has been very active during the flood of 1997 in organising help for victims.

One of the initiatives from the Centre was to create a network of psychologists in all police headquarters.

At the moment (1999) in Poland a reorganisation in the administrational system is taking place, which is connected to a reorganisation in the police itself and which will cause many changes. The Centre checks whether policewomen are treated the same (equally) as their male colleagues. The Centre is open for cooperation and collaboration with women’s associations from abroad and welcomes every initiative in this field.

Slovak Republic

In 1999 the Slovakian Network of Policewomen is to be founded.

Sweden

In 1995 the Swedish National Police Board decided to launch a National Network of Policewomen in order to give the women within the police the opportunity to get together, in spite of the big geographical distances. In a request to all county police districts, the Swedish National Police Board stressed the importance of appointing at least one representative to join the National Network. The result was that 40 female police officers were appointed as representatives. These women participated in a united intense training programme containing: leadership training, the different strengths and weaknesses in male and female behaviour, how to deal with conflicts and information and communication techniques. They also took part in an advanced course of group dynamics and team building. Following their training the women prepared to build a network in their home districts. Some districts already had a working network operating, but for the first time the women representatives had a solid national platform to develop. The main reason for starting the National Network of Policewomen was to make women feel more confident with their roles as police officers even if some women are isolated and without the company and support of other women officers.

Over the past few years the network has held several meetings and given lectures approximately twice a year. Special working groups for the policewomen’s uniform and management education for female police officers have been created within the network.

A document containing the goals of the network has been created; these goals are:

To support and strengthen female officers in their profession by:

The network is built upon informal contacts and is a meeting point for female police officers who work with a common purpose, exchange experiences and support each other in their profession.

Other activities of the Swedish Network of Policewomen have included making a video recording about the network and seeking the co-operation with other networks in Sweden, for example, female officers within the Swedish army and the Chief Constables Network. With regards to international contacts a close co-operation already exists with the Finnish Network of Policewomen and negotiations are taking place for co-operation with the Norwegian Network of Policewomen.

The network is of great importance within the Swedish police service and it has encouraged policewomen to apply for promotion through the ranks.

United Kingdom

ACTION E, the Association for Communication Trends Information Opinion and Networking on Equality was founded following the 2nd Bi-annual conference held in Bramshill, England 23rd - 27th March, 1992. The committee meets four times per year. Each of the meetings has a theme: the Equal Opportunities managers are invited to the summer Annual General Meeting. The spring meeting is tackles specific issues with relevant workshops and the remaining two meetings tend to be confined to executive board meetings with the agenda confined to management issues.

ACTION E includes representatives from the staff associations (similar to Unions) and the voluntary associations reflecting diversity within the police service: gender, sexuality, and race and ethnicity.

Sue Davies, Anne Summers and a few others went off to Zutphen in 1991 and were immediately enveloped by the spirit of the ENP. So much so that they immediately came back and began organising the ENP Quality through Equality’ conference in Bramshill Police Staff College, England. This was the first ever conference of its kind in the UK and all of the Chief Constables of the UK were invited and most attended. The Home Secretary also attended, such was the momentous occasion.

ACTION E was formed in 1993 and Chaired by Sue Davies and the Bramshill contact was maintained. Jane Tubb was Secretary. In 1994 when Sally Hubbard became the first President of the ENP under its new Constitution it was ACTION E who sponsored her. Maureen Poole, who had been a supporter of the ENP since 1990 became its Treasurer in 1995. When Sue retired from the service in 1997 and Jane Tubb returned to her force, Anne Summers became Chair and Lorraine Bottomley took over as Secretary.

All aspects of diversity are undertaken by ACTION E and initiatives to ensure that: gender, race and ethnicity, sexuality, and disablement (to lesser degree) are encouraged.

A number of ENP projects and equality related projects within the UK have been sponsored by ACTION E. Carol Ormiston and Maureen Poole attended the UN Conference on Women in Beijing, China and Russian Attachment to the ENP head office Anna Shunkova was financially supported by ACTION E. Moreover the Black Police Association attended conferences in the USA, a Handling Grievance Procedure’ Video was made and distributed and a directory of EO personnel and relevant contact points in UK was produced. Over the years specified research was done by Dr. Jennifer Brown .

Since 1997 the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Personnel and Training Committee has used ACTION E as a means of research for the Equalities Sub-Committee under the Chair of Chief Constable, Tony Burden. Lorraine Bottomley is presently on a national working party looking at Part Time working practices.

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND MARKETING

In the first ten years of its existence the ENP was involved in numerous activities in the public relations and marketing arena. These activities mostly concerned presentations at conferences and/or seminars or at police headquarters or police academies/schools. It would be too much to mention all these activities here, but a survey of the most important activities can be found below.

1991 - 1998, ENP delegations to the annual conferences of the IAWP (International Association of Women Police), various locations
Every year an ENP delegation has attended the annual conference of the IAWP. A number of years this involved a combination of an ENP delegation with a group of policewomen from the Netherlands. A large number of interesting workshops was attended besides networking and discussing possibilities of a closer cooperation between the ENP and the IAWP, which activities so far have been mainly focused on policewomen in the United States of America and Canada. In 1996 the bi-annual conference of the ENP and the annual IAWP conference were organised as a joint event in Birmingham, United Kingdom.

European delegation to present workshop at the FOURTH UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON WOMEN’, September 1995, Beijing, China
The ENP brought together a delegation of 10 European policewomen to attend the 4th United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing, China. At the conference a workshop was given on the subject: Worldwide policing, a woman’s affair’ and several other workshops were visited. Discussion about the role of the police concerning combatting violence against women in society took place. During the conference the idea was launched by the ENP to build up a world-wide network of police officers who in their work are willing to play an active role in improving the working method of the police related to violence crimes against women.

Presentations at the Escola de Policia de Catalunya’, 1996 and 1998, Barcelona, Spain
In 1996 the ENP presented a workshop for a group of inspectors on managing diversity and on international women’s day a speech was given for 300 students. In February 1998 the ENP organised a training session and a speech on the subject women within the police service.

Workshop during IACP (International Association of Chiefs of Police) conference, October 1996, Phoenix, USA
At this annual IACP conference a workshop was presented by the ENP on How to recruit and gain women in policing’. About 110, mostly male, participants attended this workshop which was received very well.

ENP presentation during Council of Europe conferences on Police and Human Rights, 1996 and 1997, Strasbourg, France
In 1996 and 1997 the ENP was invited to give presentations at these conferences. In 1996 the ENP gave a presentation on the subject police, human rights and equality’. Moreover a workshop was given during the conference about the role of training for police officers in relation to human rights.The essence of the 1997 presentation was that an organisation which does not represent good internal behavioural codes, is never able to succeed externally. This presentation created much interest from the audience. One of the conference conclusions was that a basic training programme, especially for Eastern European countries but also applicable in other countries, should be developed.

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

In the years 1996 and 1997 violence against women’ was one of the ENP satellites, which resulted in a number of activities. The two most important ones can be found below.

Seminars/lectures for Russian police officers and crisis centres in Moscow, Murmansk and St. Petersburg concerning combatting violence against women

At the Fourth United Nations World Conference on Women which was held in 1995 in Beijing, China, the ENP delegation was approached for help regarding the initiation of contacts with the local police from crisis centres in Russia, which resulted in actually visiting Moscow, Murmansk and St. Petersburg.

The ENP decided to compose a multi-disciplinary delegation consisting of three police officers, a specialist in combatting violence against women and a gynaecologist. The main objective of the visit was to make an inventory of how crisis centres could be supported and how cooperation with the police could be established. It is anticipated that this support will eventually result in an improvement in the help that is offered by the police and welfare workers. Besides recording observations the visit was also used to share knowledge at the seminars.

Conference POLICE COMBATTING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN’, June 1997, Noordwijkerhout, the Netherlands

This conference was instigated to once more focus attention on the role of the police in combatting violence against women. This initiative was created during the fourth United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing, China. After attending this conference the ENP produced a proposal to organise a conference on this subject. Financial support was received from the European Union under the STOP-programme and the Dutch Ministries of Justice and Interior.

The police have to deal with a broad spectrum of violence. Besides the well known issue of trafficking in women for sexual exploitation, violence against women encompasses domestic violence, sexual abuse, and rape. This conference covered all these topics, particularly relating them to practical policing issues.

A total of 208 people from 32 countries participated. They represented various police institutions and non-governmental organisations acting within the law-enforcement arena. All 15 EU-member states and most of the candidate countries were represented at the conference. Thanks to a financial contribution from the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs police officers from countries in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East could also participate.

The five aims of the conference were:

On the occasion of the conference a special book called Battered, Beaten but not Broken’ was published. The author, Simone Tangelder, was sent off on a journey which took her around the world to investigate how the police combat violence against women.

A full conference report, including conclusions and recommendations, is obtainable at the ENP head office.