Around Diwali last year, a Pune police constable had an investigation assignment which could have easily stretched 20-22 hours. With no one to babysit her three-year-old for 12 of those hours at home, the creche at the Pune police headquarters became a lifeline for her. “The creche provided the very basic support I needed to complete the complex investigation with an uncluttered mind until a family member could pick up my daughter,” she says.
With battles on the domestic front getting more complex, women cops are increasingly finding a reassuring support structure on the work front — a police force that is more gender sensitive and gender balanced.
In the early 1940s, women constables were first recruited in Maharashtra and in 1947, the first woman Sub-Inspector was appointed. Retired Deputy Commissioner of Police Prabhakar Shukla, who had joined Maharashtra police in 1970, says, “Only a few dozen women sub inspectors served in the entire state force in early 70s and were mainly given desk duties and missing persons cases. Since then till today — when women cops are in top positions and have led sensitive operations — has been a remarkable journey, so watch closely.”
In 2016, the state government announced a target of 30 per cent women in the constabulary staff. At the time 11 per cent women were among the constabulary ranks of Police Shipai (Sepoy), Police Naik, and Police Havaldar ranks.
Today the numbers of Pune City police and many other police jurisdictions in the state show a reassuring picture.
The Pune City police today have 1,500 women among 5,000 Police Shipai and Police Naik, which is one third of the total. Besides, 720 women among over 2,000 police havaldars and 250 women among 850 assistant sub inspectors. In the officer ranks of Sub Inspector, Assistant Inspectors and Police Inspector, somewhere between 18 and 20 per cent are women, the data shows.
Senior Inspector Deepali Bhujbal, in-charge of Vishrambag police station, says, “The journey for the large number of women officers like me has certainly been in a positive direction. With increasing number across all the ranks, there is certainly better gender balance in the force. While women cops can do all the assignments that are there, we are certainly better equipped to handle certain sensitive cases like crimes against women and children, given social settings we are in.”
An officer of Assistant Inspector rank says, “We are no different than working women professionals in other walks of life. We too are equally torn between the professional commitments and ambitions, and the domestic responsibilities and dreams. It is an everyday juggling exercise between questions like ‘what’s in tiffin?’ and ‘what’s in chargesheet?’ More and more constables and officers now have nuclear families and these pose challenges. Husbands have long work hours and if they are cops, they are in the same boat. We would be fooling ourselves if we say the situation is ideal. Women have made a headway in the male dominated world of police force, but there is a long way to go.”
“Today, we have so many shining examples of women top cops before us. Sensitive tasks like anti terror investigations, high profile economic frauds and highly technical cyber frauds are handled and led by women cops with the same grit and skills,” says a police sub inspector.
An Assistant Sub Inspector who started as a Police Shipai 23 years ago says, “I have seen the transformation in front of my eyes. We now work in very supportive and accommodating environment. We are treated the same while assigning duties and tasks, and also when being pulled up by seniors. In most cases women cops get all the possible support from when it comes to adjustments in duty timings and also on the issues on domestic fronts. Being a woman cop does not mean the expectations from us on the domestic front are any less. I am a cop who can make excellent biryani.”
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 2) Smartana Patil says, “I believe that we have reached a stage where we are gender sensitive to the people we serve and for that we are also gender sensitive and gender inclusive from within. This has happened because of conscious efforts at all levels.”