In the chapter “Policewoman” from Enemy Feminism, Sophie Lewis delivers a forceful critique of feminist engagement with policing, using the figure of the female police officer to challenge whether representation within security institutions can ever be emancipatory. Lewis argues that the inclusion of women in policing risks legitimising an institution she views as structurally violent, suggesting that female representation functions more as symbolic cover than meaningful reform. The policewoman emerges not as a symbol of feminist progress, but as a tool through which state power is softened, diversified, and made more politically defensible.

Whilst Lewis’ critique rightly pushes readers to think carefully about how gender equality initiatives can be co-opted by existing power structures, her uncompromising argument focuses too heavily on an ideal form of feminism fighting systemic injustice – which is often completely unrealistic. Whilst security organisations and police forces around the world often need significant reform, it is impractical to argue that this reform needs to be driven by a pure, inclusive, perfect, balanced feminist movement.

Lewis fails to consider the conditions that lead some women to pursue policing as employment. She paints them as imperfect feminists, rather than engaged members of the community trying to provide for their families. Women on the frontlines of security sector reform are often battling a multitude of institutional and societal barriers, and are doing their best to create inclusive environments where women’s participation is unusual, or even taboo. Lewis’ portrayal of such women as ‘enemy feminists’ fails to account for the often deeply sexist environments these women are operating in. Her placement of a ‘perfect feminism’ as the priority in this movement is misplaced – women need to start somewhere to gain access to policing and dismantle patriarchal constructs. We must not let perfection be the enemy of the good.

The chapter severely underestimates the real and measurable impact that women police officers have on policing culture, accountability, and community trust. Extensive evidence and lived experiences how that increasing women’s representation can reduce excessive use of force, improve responses to gender-based violence, and broaden institutional norms around conflict resolution and care. While policing as an institution must continue to evolve, excluding women from this process risks reinforcing the very cultures of exclusion and harm that critics seek to dismantle.

Despite our disagreements, “Policewoman” is a powerful reminder that representation must be paired with structural reform. Feminist progress, including increasing women’s participation in the security sector, needs to be both inclusive and transformative rather than merely tokenistic.

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