London police celebrated the accomplishments of their female officers while welcoming in the next generation of powerful leaders for International Women’s day.
International Women’s Day first took place on March 19, 1911, in Austria, Denmark, Germany, and Switzerland, and it has been observed in many other countries.
Policing has always been seen as a male-dominated industry, but the number of females on the force has been climbing.
In 2023, Ontario’s police force was 20% female. The RCMP first began hiring female officers in the 1970s with its first female hire being Marion E. O’Hara.
Since then, women have taken the industry by storm and have evoked change and advancement.
Makena Chambers, an aspiring officer in Fanshawe Police Foundations, shared, “There are actually quite a few females in our program, you don’t feel alone in it at all, it’s quite equal.”
The program has placed different requirements for males and females in certain testing to make it fair for any aspiring officers.
“The pushup requirement is different for girls and guys, which makes sense because we are biologically different, and that makes it possible for us to join the force” added Chambers.
Not only has it become more accessible, but it is also celebrated and encouraged. The London police service hosted a networking event that gave aspiring female officers a chance to come out to speak and connect with powerful female officer role models.
One of these powerful leaders was Treena MacSween, a London Deputy Chief.
Treena MacSween: Deputy Police Chief
“So for me I was inspired because back when I was 17 years old, I saw a female deputy chief in Hamilton and seeing a female in her position in a
uniform was really rare back then, so I was inspired to become a police officer.” Shared Macsween.
Each of these officers was inspired by seeing other women in these positions; it creates almost a domino effect of inspiration, and now it’s reaching Fanshawe students.
“I got to see tons of really successful females in positions I hope to someday get to, and it was really informative and inspiring,” shared Fanshawe student Tianna Mckelvey, who is preparing to apply to police services following her graduation in June.
