Recruitment, deployment, promotion, and attrition of female officers: The impact on staffing and perceptions of police practice

Abstract There is little research examining (collectively) recruitment, deployment, promotion, and attrition of female constables in policing, and how these issues affect organizational staffing, police practice. Presenting findings from semi-structured interviews with 46 male and female constables working in an Australian State and Territories police organization, this paper argues that exclusionary staffing practices start from the onset of recruitment because female applicants are singled-out by their sex. It argues that exclusionary staffing practices for female constables occur throughout initial recruit training, during placement within a police station or area of command, whilst being deployed or not deployed to police work, and during consideration or application of promotion related processes, which increases the probability that attrition rates of female constables will be high. Unless police organizations address these issues, it is likely that the number of female constables transitioning into senior roles will remain small; thereby reducing the likelihood that police organizations will implement or achieve equitable staffing principles. It will also diminish appropriate resources needed to run an organization and have a negative impact on staffing.