WHEN GOOD WOMEN TURN BAD. Inspector Marea Rayment. Professional
Standards Manager. Special Crime and. Internal Affairs. Inspector Susan Trusty.
WHEN GOOD WOMEN TURN BAD
Inspector Marea Rayment Professional Standards Manager Special Crime and Internal Affairs Inspector Susan Trusty A/Commander Employee Management Branch NSW Police
Wood Royal Commission “suggested that the presence of women will break down the negative, machismo aspects of the culture and lead to ‘kinder and gentler’ policing….. there is danger of generalisation, or of drawing too much from the low reporting rate of corruption among women police” Queensland CJC “an influx of women into policing will not, in itself, result in a significant weakening of the existing police culture” NSW Police
Population within NSW Police With complaints Sustained criminal allegations Assault allegations On-duty assault complaints Off-duty assault complaints Conflict of interest complaints Improper association complaints Aggressive behaviour complaints
Female 21% 67% 7% 10% 89% 3% 6% 12% 7%
Male 79% 82% 93% 90% 11% 97% 94% 88% 93%
In Queensland, 1992 – 92 and 1994 - 95 7.5 per 100 female officers received complaints 28 per 100 male officers received complaints ‘women police are substantially less likely than males to attract a complaint from a member of the public, especially where the allegation is on of assault or excessive force…. Women police are inclined to employ less aggressive, more conciliatory, policing styles, and are less likely to engage in risk taking activities such as high speed pursuits’ These statistics lend themselves to the thought that Police Services who recruit more women would over time see a reduction in the number of complaints of aggressive behaviour against police. If this is the case then the creation of the ‘critical mass’ that is so often mentioned might encourage a general cultural change in policing organisations across the world. A study by the Criminal Justice Commission in Queensland in 1998 found that a factor that could contribute to the difference in complaints against male and female officers was that of deployment. The question as to whether women are deployed in less confrontational areas of policing was asked and the result was that there was almost no difference between the frequency or the proportions of male and female officers engaging in 36 physical activities over a year. “Most importantly there were no differences for those activities that involve management of offenders.” Recent studies have shown that women police are no more inherently ethical in their behaviour than male officers. The issue of ‘ethical behaviour’ in police officers appears to be found in their environment- the police culture. 2
The behaviours are shaped by occupational and organisational factors rather than individual ethics. Women’s behaviour is shaped by the individuals she works with, the support she has in the environment and her own ability to stand alone when her ethics are challenged. A study by Waugh, Ede and Alley(1998) of Australian police forces found “that women were less likely to have a complaint made by the public but there were no consistent gender differences in terms of perceptions about the seriousness of breaches of officer conduct.” The study concluded that policewomen were no more virtuous than their male counterparts. At what cost virtue Anne Summers in her book Damned Whores and Gods Police describes the socialisation of women during the colonisation of Australia. Women were either categorised as good or evil – the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene Damned whores, were female convicts, most of whom had been convicted of petty crimes but nonetheless were viewed as prostitutes there for the sexual gratification of all men within the colony, including male convicts. God’s police, were the good women who became the wives of the men of the colony, they embodied the nurturing image of mother and protector of family values. This analogy works well for many and allows women to be placed into either box, where one of God’s Police then crosses the line and does not behave in an appropriate fashion, eg, does not want children, does not want to get married or is a lesbian than they are judged extremely harshly because they have breached the ‘normal codes’ of society, and there existence and behaviour is criticised and more harshly judged then if the woman had been considered a ‘damn whore’ in the first place. Similarly, regarding women police as the enforcer of moral values within a policing context means that when they come under notice for some breach of discipline, they are more harshly judged because they’re a woman. Wood Royal Commission
•
“suggested that the presence of women will break down the negative, machismo aspects of the culture and lead to ‘kinder and gentler’ policing….. there is danger of generalisation, or of drawing too much from the low reporting rate of corruption among women police”
NSW Police (2002) Queensland Police • 7.5 per 100 female officers received complaints • 28 per 100 male officers received complaints 1992 – 92 and 1994 - 95 Hypothesis 3
• Tend to suggest that Police Services who recruit more women would over time see a reduction in the number of complaints of aggressive behaviour against police.
• Creation of the ‘critical mass’ that is so often mentioned might encourage a general cultural change in policing organizations across the world. Damned Whores and God’s Police • Anne Summers (Damned Whores and God’s Police, 1975) describes the socialisation of women during the colonisation of Australia.
• Women were either categorised as good or evil – the Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene • Damned whores, were female convicts, most of whom had been convicted of petty crimes but nonetheless were viewed as prostitutes there for the sexual gratification of all men within the colony, including male convicts. God’s police, were the good women who became the wives of the men of the colony, they embodied the nurturing image of mother and protector of family values. st
Women in the 21 century • Women today are still caste in either mould • God’s Police who cross the line of ‘decency’, eg, does not want children, does not want to get married or is a lesbian are judged extremely harshly as they have breached the ‘normal codes’ of society, and the ir existence and behaviour is judged more harshly Women Police as God’s Police
• Similarly, regarding women police as the enforcer of moral values within a policing organisation means that when they come under notice for some breach of discipline, they are more harshly judged because they’re a woman (one of God’s Police). Heard around the Office • The officer did xyz…..and she’s a woman – I wouldn’t have expected it • I know harassment and everything is wrong but she is what you’d call fairly generous with her affections • She’d be the last person you’d expect to get involved in something like that – I know all her workmates have been up to no good but I never thought she would. Reality Check • Recent studies have shown that women police are no more inherently ethical in their behaviour than male officers. • The issue of ‘ethical behaviour’ in police officers appears to be found in their environment- the police culture. • The behaviours are shaped by occupational and organisational factors rather than individual ethics.
• • •
When good women turn bad, the gender needs to become invisible We’re all responsible for highlighting these issues, particularly women in management positions Don’t become guilty of classifying your female colleagues as ‘damned whores’ or ‘god’s police’
4
• Women’s behaviour is shaped by the individuals she works with, the support she has in the environment and her own ability to stand alone when her ethics are challenged. • A study by Waugh, Ede and Alley(1998) of Australian police forces found “that women were less likely to have a complaint made by the public but there were no consistent gender differences in terms of perceptions about the seriousness of breaches of officer conduct.” • The study concluded that policewomen were no more virtuous than their male counterparts.
5
