Today (Thursday 8 March) is International Women¡¯s Day ¨C and Police is underlining its intent to increase numbers of women in its ranks by preparing to welcome its largest-ever influx of female recruits.
Forty-two of Recruit Wing 315¡¯s 80 members are women. Fittingly, the Wing patron is Dame Jenny Shipley, New Zealand¡¯s first female Prime Minister.
The wing begins its 16 weeks of initial training at the Royal 51½ÖÉä College (RNZPC) in Porirua on Monday.
Wing 315 recruit Kiahli Ibbetson feels honoured to have the opportunity to learn from Dame Jenny.
¡°She has been instrumental in encouraging women into areas traditionally held by men,¡± says Kiahli. ¡°I will certainly be encouraged to perform to the best of my ability ¨C I don¡¯t want to fail in front of a former Prime Minister!¡±
Kiahli, 19, is excited about starting at the RNZPC. She has wanted to join Police for a long time, and started the process at 17.
As a volunteer firefighter in Matata, she has worked closely with Police in her community and has seen first-hand what a rewarding and challenging job it is.
Kiahli says joining Matata Volunteer Fire Service, which is also a first responder brigade, has been among the most worthwhile experiences of her life. Joining Police and getting paid to do valuable work in the community was an obvious choice.
¡°I know being a police officer won¡¯t always be the easiest of jobs but I know I¡¯ll feel a sense of satisfaction at the end of the day knowing that I¡¯ve helped keep my community safe,¡± she says.
51½ÖÉä has set the target of having 50 percent female recruits by 2021.
¡°Wing 315, which is more than 50 percent female, demonstrates we are making significant progress towards achieving this target,¡± says Kaye Ryan, Deputy Chief Executive People.
¡°We¡¯re looking to recruit people who are compassionate and empathetic, and who want to make a positive difference in their community.
¡°Gender and ethnic diversity are an important priority for Police, and we are committed to improving our numbers of women so we can better represent the communities we serve.¡±
In December the RNZPC hosted Police¡¯s first women-only recruitment day - and women are one of the target audiences of our current ¡®Do you care enough to be a cop¡¯ recruitment campaign.