Supporting Women in Policing Conference: branch equality and wellbeing lead among keynote speakers

2 July 2025

Branch equality and wellbeing lead Jasmine Chaplain says it was ‘an honour’ to appear at 2025 Supporting Women in Policing Conference last month.

The annual online event brought together the latest research and guidance on improving the representation of female personnel in the police force, featuring a range of keynote speakers including Jasmine.

Two years after beginning her career in policing, Jasmine became a workplace representative in 2021, with another two years passing before she stepped into the role of equality and wellbeing lead.

Throughout her Federation career, she has supported countless female branch members through adversity at Nottinghamshire Police and was able to draw on these experiences at the conference.

Branch equality and wellbeing lead Jasmine Chaplain

Ahead of proceedings, Jasmine said: “One of the key contexts behind the conference is that as of 2023, women made up 35 per cent of police officers in England and Wales – according to the House of Commons Library – and while this is the highest proportion since 2010, it has still taken 140 years or so for these sorts of numbers to be a reality.

“I do think this figure is cause for some appreciation, but as my career has gone on, I’ve begun to understand things can always be better – there might be a healthier number of women in policing nowadays, but plenty of them still report problems around sexism and misogyny at work.

“And that’s why the offer of speaking was a no-brainer for me, because it is vital we keep the momentum going and don’t see things as ‘job done’ when it comes to the female side of our profession.”

Delivering her talk in the morning session of the conference, Jasmine presented a range of ideas on the recruitment and retention of women in policing in 2025.

Solutions

Firstly, she took an in-depth look at the barriers preventing women from progressing in the force, providing solutions and recommendations on how career paths can be effectively outlined to prospective female cops.

“This is an issue which is very important to me, personally,” she continued.

“There are very few people who grow up wanting to be a sergeant or an inspector, specifically – most just want to become a police officer, but that doesn’t mean women should just be happy to be in the police at any level and not aim for those higher positions.

“I haven’t been in this career for too long, but I am pleased with the development I have made so far, both inside and outside of the Force. I would hate for anyone else to feel they were being prevented from doing the same.”

This theme of common obstacles around gender provided a smooth link into the second section of Jasmine’s discussion, where she shared resources tailored to appeal to women considering joining the police.

Flexible work

The 30-year-old pointed towards the unique expectation on women to remain as ‘society’s primary caregivers’, resulting in them still typically needing to place greater value on flexible working patterns than their male counterparts.

And she says this very much manifests itself in policing, with a range of consequences clear to see.

“Not only can this block progression once you’re in, but it can prevent some from joining in the first place. A lot of work has been done to make flexible working more commonplace in the force, but there needs to be more awareness of this, so they aren’t put off from applying," she continued.

“In 2025, this sort of thing shouldn’t be preventing any woman from pursuing the career she wants.

“Nor should the police’s joining requirements for new entrants, which will be my third and final focus at the conference. I’ll be looking at how fitness and physicality tests, specifically within the initial 18-week training period, can create fears of inadequacy for female officers.”

Inspirational

A leading national meeting in its subject area, Jasmine reflected on the Supporting Women in Policing Conference as an overwhelming success.

She said: “When I was approached to appear, I didn’t think twice about accepting, and I’m so glad about that because it was an event full of passion and insight.

“Overall, it was a fantastic day – not all about the negatives, but focusing positively on how we can make things even better.

“I felt massively proud to be speaking alongside some inspirational people and leaders in their fields. It was slightly scary, but also very empowering for me.

“Ultimately, that’s what it’s all about – empowering women in policing, so they feel they are deserving of success and capable of achieving anything they set their minds to."

READ MORE: Officers complete 'Six Peaks Challenge' for men's mental health.