News

The Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) will be hosting the International Association for Women in Policing (IAWP) on the week of 4^th to 8^th March. At the start of week, the Board of Directors for the IAWP, which is made up of volunteers from across the world, will meet for their bi-annual board meeting to plan and put actions in motion on behalf of the IAWP members world-wide.

This year, the meeting will be held in the Cayman Islands, where the IAWP has partnered with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to host the Caribbean Region 26 Gender-Responsive Policing Conference, with the theme being ‘Empowered Women, Empower Women’, and is being held for women officers and civilian police staff from across the region, who will be in attendance. There are approximately 200 registrants for the conference, coming from most countries in the region including the Cayman Islands.

“The Board of Directors of the IAWP is very pleased to conduct our business meeting in the Cayman Islands. We have enjoyed a long, close relationship with the women of the Caribbean, and we wanted to show support for their ongoing efforts in raising the profile of women in policing across the region,” says Deborah Friedl, President of the IAWP, “Gender Responsive Policing has long been regarded as a vital component of building trust with the communities served, this principle applies to all countries and never more so than in these difficult times where we have seen trust and confidence in law enforcement shaken. Ensuring that our policies and practices encourage equality of protection for all citizens is an essential first step. However, Gender Responsive Policing also requires internal examination and an assurance that that policies and culture reflect gender sensitivity and inclusion. In so doing, it will ensure that agencies are able to be properly reflective of the communities they serve.”

Maria Stanley from the UK FCDO states “Women in policing conferences are vital platforms where empowerment meets innovation, where experiences converge to redefine the landscape of policing. They're not just gatherings; they're catalysts for change, amplifying voices, breaking barriers, and paving the path towards a more inclusive, effective, and resilient policing paradigm. The FCDO support has been a huge enabler for women in the British Overseas Territories to attend this ground-breaking event, and has also funded a development programme which has seen real advances for women in policing across the region.”

Over the course of the event members in attendance will gain exposure to professional training, including but will not be limited to, artificial intelligence and cybercrime, human trafficking in the region, effective communication, etc. The conference will host various guests’ speakers including Her Excellency the Governor Jane Owen, the IAWP executive members, and several speakers from law enforcement backgrounds throughout the world who will be presenting on the various topics that will be discussed throughout the conference.

The timing of this event is quite fitting as it is both held during Women’s Month, within the week which International Women’s Day is recognised. In celebration of this, the conference participants will engage in a local community event on 8^th March IWD, to raise awareness in the Cayman Islands. This initiative is being supported by the Ministry of Tourism and Ports and the RCIPS.

IAWP Caribbean (Region 26) Coordinator Indirah Adderley states, “It is an honour to have policewomen of the Caribbean come together at this conference. This will expose us to regional and international standards while empowering us to move towards the formation of a Caribbean Association of Women Police organisation. Its success is our success.” The Office of the Commissioner of Police’s Deputy Chief Officer Nancy Barnard who led the local efforts on the planning committee, is grateful for this important event coming to our shores, she noted: “Much appreciation to the local planning committee team and also to Supt. Wendy Parchment who has led the efforts with the development of our own Women in Policing Network, which is in its working group phase. We are also grateful to our male allies.”

The RCIPS recognises the work of the IAWP, and has shown its commitment by registering all women members staff with the IAWP. This not only ensures RCIPS women’s inclusion in this event, but helps in driving support to the initiative, while reaping member benefits.

“Modernising our police service has been one of our strategic priorities for some time now and we continue to make strides in this respect”, says Commissioner of Police Kurt Walton, “Investing in our people is one of the ways in which we plan to do so, and ensuring that our officers have the necessary information on matters affecting officers worldwide is important to provide perspective as well as to future proof our organisation. We welcome the IAWP to the Cayman Islands and look forward to hosting them for the coming week.”

The IAWP would like to recognise the sponsors of this conference: CIG Ministry of Tourism and Ports, Axon, Hubbcat Business Critical Solutions, Healthy Future Ltd., Dart, Motorola Solutions, Infinite Mindcare, AE Tactical, Ernest and Young, and partners The University of the West Indies