Protests have erupted in cities across the world following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. SecurityWomen condemns police brutality in any form in any country and the systemic racism and discrimination that leads to the deaths of black people. That this happens is the obvious horrific and visible iceberg of the problem. The much bigger hidden aspect of discrimination which manifests in biases in recruitment, selection, training and promotion, and broader equal opportunity deficits, demands to be addressed.

SecurityWomen advocates for the greater presence of women in all security sectors with the belief that security can be so much better with a more gender balanced workforce. More than this, a gender integrated and equal police service would help to mitigate police brutality and violence which is rife across the world. Crucially, we call for a ‘guardian’ approach to security, rather than one which advocates ‘warrior’ dimensions. We condemn sexist and misogynistic behaviour that poisons the security workplace for women and discourages their participation. The superficial or toxic masculinity that relies on a projection of machismo and seeks to dominate has no place in policing. A self-assured masculinity is strong within and welcomes the partnership of women in providing excellence in law and order. In addition, we recognise a greater diversity in recruitment, which aims to include men and women’s range of intersectional identities, is needed to help the understanding of race and eradication of racist behaviour.

Security cannot be a matter of ‘us’ and ‘them’. Policing is a collaboration in which all stakeholders need to work together. SecurityWomen works for the reform of security services worldwide, and we feel it is important to comment on police brutality that has spread through so many countries. Furthermore, we advocate that policing should be ethnically and gender diverse to represent all corners of society.

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