Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

'Royal Canadian Mounted Police' 8 June 2012, photographed by Robert Taylor; accessed via Wikimedia Commons
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment and would be the first to admit her journey wasn’t without challenges.

Mother of two daughters (a fact which influenced her into working for more gender diversity in careers) Kara said that moving around the province every few years to enable promotions meant her husband making career sacrifices. She was grateful to him as it had been worth it to acquire an interesting job which gives “immense satisfaction and unique opportunities, particularly as a Mountie where we have the privilege of working throughout Canada in a wide variety of roles.”

Kara works tirelessly to improve diversity within the RCMP to elevate the quality of services provided. “Only about 33% of the officers in the Kelowna Detachment are women,” she said, adding she’d like to see it nearer 50%. “Inclusive leadership broadens our perceptions of what makes a good leader. Women in positions of leadership will influence decision-making around policy, laws, and management practices.”

SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity. To read more, see Removing barriers for women in law enforcement: Supt. Kara Triance, Kelowna RCMP Detachment (kelownanow.com)

'Royal Canadian Mounted Police' 8 June 2012, photographed by Robert Taylor; accessed via Wikimedia Commons
March 26, 2022

Removing Barriers for Women in Law Enforcement in Canada

'Royal Canadian Mounted Police' 8 June 2012, photographed by Robert Taylor; accessed via Wikimedia Commons
March 26, 2022

Superintendent Kara Triance is the first female Officer in Charge at the Kelowna Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment and would be the first to admit her journey wasn’t without challenges.

Mother of two daughters (a fact which influenced her into working for more gender diversity in careers) Kara said that moving around the province every few years to enable promotions meant her husband making career sacrifices. She was grateful to him as it had been worth it to acquire an interesting job which gives “immense satisfaction and unique opportunities, particularly as a Mountie where we have the privilege of working throughout Canada in a wide variety of roles.”

Kara works tirelessly to improve diversity within the RCMP to elevate the quality of services provided. “Only about 33% of the officers in the Kelowna Detachment are women,” she said, adding she’d like to see it nearer 50%. “Inclusive leadership broadens our perceptions of what makes a good leader. Women in positions of leadership will influence decision-making around policy, laws, and management practices.”

SecurityWomen supports women like Kara and the work they do for gender diversity. To read more, see Removing barriers for women in law enforcement: Supt. Kara Triance, Kelowna RCMP Detachment (kelownanow.com)

Latest News

Rwandan Women Peacekeepers Lead Action

NEWS
January 8, 2026

Rwandan Women Peacekeepers Lead Action Against Gender-Based Violence in South Sudan

Read News Item

The Continuing Challenge of Violence Against Women in Rwanda

NEWS
January 8, 2026

Violence against women continues to be a major human rights challenge in Rwanda.

Read News Item

Winnie’s Story - Choosing Policing as my career

NEWS
December 18, 2025

Read News Item

Critical Analysis of Rwanda’s Women, Peace and Security Agenda

NEWS
November 11, 2025

Rwanda has often been cited as a global leader in advancing gender equality, particularly in governance and peace building.

Read News Item

Resilient Leaders, Powerful Mentors: Women in Rwanda’s Security Institutions Inspiring Change

NEWS
October 10, 2025

The Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) and the Rwanda National Police (RNP) are security institutions and platforms of transformation, resilience, and mentorship.

Read News Item

Rwandan Female Police Officers Scaling Heights Of Policing Career

NEWS
May 30, 2019

May 30, 2019: In March 2019, the United Nations expressed its gratitude to a Rwandan Police Officer, Assistant Commissioner of Police, (ACP) Teddy Ruyenzi, for her outstanding role in UN peacekeeping. ACP Ruyenzi, who is among the top most senior police officers at the rank of ACP, leads a trail-blazing force of 160-strong all-female Formed Police Unit (FPU) in the Republic of South Sudan under the United Nations Mission in Southern Sudan (UNMISS).

Read News Item

Rwanda to send all-woman peacekeeping force to South Sudan

NEWS
July 10, 2018

July 9, 2018: Rwanda is set to send an all-female formed police unit for deployment in South Sudan under the UN peacekeeping mission, the Rwandan police said Tuesday. The contingent is the first female team to be sent on a foreign mission by the country.

Read News Item