Pacific Island Chiefs of Police Women’s Advisory Network

News
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History
The PICP Women’s Advisory Network (WAN) was borne out of recommendations from the International Women in Policing Conference which was held in Canberra in 2002.

During this conference the Acting Commissioner for the Fiji Police Force, Moses Driver, supported the idea of having a women’s advisory body for the South Pacific Chiefs of Police Conference (SPCPC). This idea was developed further by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the New Zealand Police (NZPol) by holding the first meeting in Suva, 2003 for representatives from the seven Pacific Island countries that in 2003 made up the SPCPC membership. It was at this meeting in 2003 that the name WAN was established.

The WAN name was amended in 2005 when it was changed to reflect the growing size of the Chiefs of Police to include 21 Pacific Island Police Services; it became the Pacific Island Chiefs of Police (PICP) – WAN. The reason it is called PICP-WAN is to make sure there is a link between the women’s forum and the Chiefs of Police annual conference.

The PICP-WAN has a unique role as a body that provides advice to the Chiefs of Police via the annual conference and also their own police executive. Their role as PICP-WAN delegates is also to develop strategies capable of furthering the individual country police service and the PICP business plans and in doing so maximise the contribution of women to policing in the region.

One of the most concrete outcomes for the PICP-WAN is their observer status at the PICP annual conference. Attending the PICP annual conference also allows them an audience with all the Chiefs of Police present as the Chair of the PICP-WAN delivers a formal presentation on behalf of all PICP-WAN delegates.

The PICP-WAN has a key role to play in addressing issues for women in Pacific police services and to provide a voice for women in decision making both at the local and regional levels. PICP-WAN also look at addressing workplace issues for women currently employed in the Police to maximise their contribution to policing.

The PICP-WAN vision of “Equality through Fairness” is to promote equality for women in all facets of policing without gender discrimination, therefore the PICP-WAN includes both sworn and non-sworn police employees.

The Mission statement “To develop and maximise the effective contribution of women in Pacific Island Police Services”, seeks to achieve excellence in policing by realising the potential of women through maximising opportunities, removing barriers and valuing diversity.

At each subsequent conference of the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police have reaffirmed their commitment to the PICP WAN and the work it is trying to achieve.

Objectives of the PICP WAN

The project has both short and long term objectives. At the recent PICP-WAN Conference in the Cook Islands, June 2009, action points for the year were established and agreed by all the delegates.

Short Term Aims and Objectives of the PICP-WAN for 2010

• A local WAN to be established in each jurisdiction. There have been a few countries reporting that is a problem to them. Countries that require assistance to establish WAN are; CNMI, PNG, Guam, French Polynesia, FSM, American Samoa, Palau, New Caledonia.

• A guide to assist countries wanting to set up and maintain a women’s advisory group is to be sent out by the Secretariat and posted on the PICP website. (www.picp.org).

• The Secretariat will assist the PICP-WAN in writing skills. This will be done via the conference reports that are to be completed by each jurisdiction attending by 31 July 2009.

• Research skills have also been taught and a guide given to all PICP-WAN delegates. Each jurisdiction must complete their research report on Youth Offending by the 10 August 2009 and hand it in to the Secretariat.

• Production of WAN newsletter to be supported by WAN delegates. This will be co-ordinated by the Cook Islands as they volunteered to produce the inaugural newsletter for the PICP-WAN.

• Six countries (plus two reserves) to do exchanges in 2010. Tuvalu, Solomon Islands, FSM (Chuuk), PNG, Cook Islands, American Samoa, Tonga, Samoa.

• The PICP-WAN must emphasise to the Chiefs that the following countries require specific Police Maternity Leave policies: Countries with no maternity leave are: Guam (drafted not implemented; it’s up for review by their Chief), FSM, CNMI, FSM (Chuuk), Marshall Islands, Cook Islands (not pregnancy policy), Samoa (not pregnancy policy).

• That the Chiefs in each jurisdiction have a minimum percentage of women in their Police forces. (ie PNG has a minimum percentage of 25% for new recruit intake). This is to be part of the briefing the Chair will do to the Chiefs of Police at their annual conference in September and be included in the Conference Report recommendations by each jurisdiction.

• This forum endorses PICP, AFP and NZ Police who will take back the Sister City surveys and review them to reinvigorate the Sister City Programme.

• A business plan to be established for 2009/2010 by the Secretariat in consultation with representatives from Micronesia, Melanesia and Polynesia by 2ndDecember 2009. Nominations: PNG (Ch/Inspector Clarkson) Guam (Captain Mercy Grino) Cook Islands (Senior Sergeant Ngatoko-Poila) and the Chair of the WAN (Sergeant Siripa Uelese)

• That a Deputy Chair position be established. The Chair from the previous year is the Deputy Chair the following year.

• Next Conference to be in Samoa 2010 and PNG 2011.

Strategic Direction Aims and objectives: (draft)

• Review Policies on Pregnancy leave – Examine Policy on Professional standards;

• Examine policies and management procedures on EEO and HIV/AIDS.

• Promote the WAN Exchange Programme.

• Promote the Sister City Programme.

• Assist local WAN with the development of their strategic plans.

• The establishment of a WAN Members Page on the PICP Website.

• Conduct Annual WAN Conferences

1. Business Benefits and linkages

For the project to be successful the PICP will need to engage with police members in all our PICP Member countries. We also must have a strong relationship with the following stakeholders; PPDVP, NZAID, AusAID, Civil Societies, UN HIV/AIDS and Human Rights Manager, Gender Equity groups in countries both government and NGO’s. The project will also need to engage other stakeholders in a coordinated and systematic way over the next 3 years.

This project will also require the Chiefs and Commissioners of the PICP to take an active role in the project and to role model to staff the importance of gender equity.

Conclusion

The PICP WAN is a relatively young organisation which has many challenges ahead. The support given by New Zealand and Australia over those important first few years has established the WAN as an important advisory group to the Chiefs of Police in the 21 jurisdictions. The PICP WAN island jurisdictions now need to establish for themselves an identity and presence with the Chiefs so that the issues and concerns of delegates can be reaffirmed at the highest levels so that real change can occur.
Pacific Women need to lead the changes in the communities they live by not only making changes to their work environment but the community as a whole.