January 24, 2018: Research shows that police can be more effective at preventing terrorism than military forces due to their permanent presence in local communities. However, in cases such as Pakistan, police forces are historically under-resourced and plagued by corruption, heavy handedness, and civilian mistrust, thus hampering their success in fighting violent extremism. To strengthen trust between police and communities, police forces must be representative of the populations they are tasked with protecting. In particular, greater representation of women is needed. Currently, women represent only one percent of Pakistan’s police forces. This gap in the Pakistani security sector remains a challenge to efforts to stabilize the country against terrorist threats.

A new report from Inclusive Security takes an in-depth look at female police in Pakistan to learn how women increase the effectiveness of the force; challenges and barriers women police face; why women's advancement to decision-making positions is critical; and how to bridge the divides among police, government, and civil society.

Read more: Promoting Inclusive Policy Frameworks for Countering Violent Extremism (www.inclusive security.org)