Women’s Advisory Network
The PICP Women’s Advisory Network (WAN) is made up of representatives of women police officers and employees in all 20 PICP member police services. It exists to promote the role of women in policing, and support police services to develop policies that allow them to get the best out of their female employees, including on equal employment opportunity and maternity leave.
It was founded in 2002, following recommendations that came out of the International Women in Policing conference held in Canberra in that year.
Annual Conference
Each year since 2004, a member country of the PICP-WAN has hosted the Annual Conference. This provides an opportunity for women in policing to discuss the issues that affect them, and to develop solutions that are relevant in the context of Pacific policing. The Chair of the PICP-WAN presents the major findings from the conference at the annual PICP chiefs’ conference.
| Year | Host | Theme |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Tonga | |
| 2005 | Fiji | |
| 2006 | Solomon Islands | |
| 2007 | Australia | |
| 2008 | Australia | Future Directions of Women in Pacific Policing |
| 2009 | Cook Islands | Youth in the Pacific |
| 2010 | Samoa | Ethics and Integrity |
| 2011 | Papua New Guinea | Improving partnerships to enhance Police service delivery |
Exchanges
Each year the PICP-WAN facilitates exchanges between women police officers in other PICP member countries. The participants spend two weeks in the hosting police service, and provides an opportunity for both parties to learn about the methodologies and practices of the other.
