‘Sensitive’ women more attuned to modern crime-fighting, says Hong Kong’s first female deputy police chief
It’s not just about brute force these days – Winnie Chiu says female officers are naturally more meticulous, show greater sympathy and have good communication skills
Winnie Chiu Wai-yin also hoped to inspire other women to become police officers as, although their numbers were rising, there were still far more men in the force.
An academic backed her up, suggesting that femininity was beneficial to police work as the city had moved on from the era of hardcore law enforcement to a more intelligent and sensitive approach to dealing with crime.
We are still quite a minority, but that does not mean women police officers are denied the opportunities to move up the ladder
There are currently 4,700 women police officers, accounting for 16.2 per cent of the 29,000-strong force, compared with 9.5 per cent in 1990.
Yet females account for about 28.6 per cent of officers at the rank of inspector or above, and 20 per cent at the level of superintendent and above.
Speaking two weeks after being appointed one of the force’s two deputy commissioners, Chiu said she had been surprised by the level of social interest in her new role as she felt that being a woman did not put her at her any disadvantage when climbing the ranks in the male-dominated occupation.
“Of course we are still quite a minority, but that does not mean women police officers are denied the opportunities to move to various areas of work or move up the ladder,” she said. “I hope that my example will inspire other female officers as well.”