Tamil Nadu, model of mainstreaming of women in police force: Deputy CM Udhayanidhi

Chennai: Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday said Tamil Nadu is an example of mainstreaming of women in the police force as 43 per cent of the police stations in the state are led by women station house officers.

Presiding over the valedictory of the 11th National Conference of Women in Police-2025 here, Udhyanidhi said it was a proud moment to host the conference, a first in Tamil Nadu.

He said: "This national conference is a platform for dialogue, policy discussions, empowerment, and co-ordination among women police from across the country." Udhayanidhi said late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, for the first time, recruited women into the police department in 1973 in the state.

"The first formal recruitment of women into the Tamil Nadu Police occurred in late 1973, when a 22-member all-women police unit was established. What began with 22 women, over 50 years ago, has grown into a huge force of around 27,000 women police now. This is one of the largest in the country," the Deputy CM said.

It was in 1989, Karunanidhi ensured that women were brought into the decision-making levels of government by awarding 30 per cent reservation to them in government jobs.

As a result, women, directly recruited as DSPs entered the police department for the first time. "They rose up the top ranks of Additional Director Generals of Police and Inspector Generals of police and continue to grow in number and contribution." Honouring such contributions of Karunanidhi, the Tamil Nadu government recently instituted the "Kalaingar annual award and trophy" for outstanding women police personnel.

Further, the Deputy CM said: "Today, Tamil Nadu Police has been an example of mainstreaming of women. It is a proud statistic to share that 43 per cent of the state law and order police stations are headed by women as Station House Officers. Be it crime investigations, traffic management, intelligence, railway police, cyber crime handling, commandoes, or the Chief Minister's security; the women police of Tamil Nadu have handled it with great self-confidence and competence." Udhayanidhi said that in 2023, Chief Minister M K Stalin announced the Nava Ratna welfare schemes for women police, including hostels and facilities for women police personnel to take rest in police stations. Such schemes were having an impact, leading to changes in the lives and work environment of women police personnel.

"The momentum is building up and this National Conference of Women in Police is setting new bench marks. I am sure that, you had two days of productive deliberations. These will be documented in due course and actionable points will be taken forward," Udhayanidhi added.