OSCE Mission to Montenegro continues supporting women police officers

As part of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro commitment to encourage the recruitment and advancement women in the police, the Mission provided technical equipment to the Women Police Association on 11 February 2022 in Podgorica.

The Women Police Association was established in 2017. It supports the empowerment of women police officers, encourages women to apply as police officers and builds networks with other women police organizations in the region.

In order to facilitate online meetings, conferences and training courses, the Mission delivered a printer and three laptops to the Association’s branches located in Podgorica, Bar and Bijelo Polje.

Biljana Dulović, President of the Montenegrin Women Police Association, said thatthe Association operates on a voluntary basis and lacks technical equipment. “This donation is of great support to each regional office. It will improve their ability to participate in virtual events,” said Dulović.

Statistics show that only 12.6% of the police in Montenegro are women, with no women in the senior decision making positions. “The situation is slowly improving with growing awareness of the importance and need for more women in the police. Encouraging women to make a career in policing is an important first step,” said Dominique Waag, Head of the Mission.

In 2021, the Police Academy reported a 10% increase in the number of women candidates enrolled after the public information campaign to attract young women to apply for a career in the police. The campaign also triggered an exchange of regional experiences and networking of women police associations from the region.

This activity was in line with the recommendations from the OSCE Increasing and Supporting the Participation of Women at all Levels in the Montenegrin Police report from March 2021.