Phillaur: The Community Affairs Division (CAD) of Punjab Police, in partnership with J-PAL and Hartek Foundation, conducted the second day of the three-day Round-III training programme under the Gender Sensitization Project – “Mainstreaming of Women in Punjab Police” at the Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Police Academy (MRSPPA), Phillaur.
The training programme, is in continuity to the gender sensitisation and mainstreaming of women police trg being conducted by the Punjab Police since the last one year . The project covers 384 Police Stations, with 288 Police Stations forming the training group and 96 serving as a control group. Around 2,000 police officials are covered under the overall intervention.
Day 2 of the programme focused on Group T2 – the male-only group, comprising 413 nominated police officials posted as SHO , Investigating officer and MHC representing their Police Station .
Dr. Baljit Kaur, Cabinet Minister for Social Security, Women & Child Development, Punjab, was the Chief Guest for the day’s programme. Addressing the participating police officials, Dr. Baljit Kaur emphasised that not only gender sensitization was important, but also sensitivity and compassion towards underprivileged such as the senior citizens and people with special needs as well as various people in the society, who for one reason or the other were discriminated against . She emphasised that people with resources would be able to get help in case of need but it is the people who do not have the resources or the support from society who are actually requiring compassion and understanding from the police.
She also underscored the importance of creating a gender-friendly environment within the police organisation, where women police personnel are treated with equality, dignity and respect and are able to contribute effectively across all areas of policing.
She suggested the the department of social security, Women and child department should work in close coordination with the community affairs, division of the Punjab police with the common aim of bringing about awareness in the society regarding regarding the rights of women, children and senior citizens. She also said that the police department has an important role to play in battling crime against children, and said that the police department should actively work in coordination with the women and child department in the campaign for eradication of beggary and action against organised trafficking.
Speaking on the occasion, Gurpreet Kaur Deo special director, Jarnail of Police Community affair division emphasised that since women are in a minority in a male dominated police organisation. It is the need of the hour to ensure the integration of women in the mainstream and to take on active operational roles, rather than routine desk or administrative jobs in the Police. She also emphasise that women themselves need to be more proactive, and the SHO and other male colleagues should provide that ecosystem which supports the women in becoming a effective part of the police team in the police station..
The training sessions were led by eminent former police officers and lead trainers, Ms. Meeran C. Borwankar, IPS (Retd.), former DGP, Maharashtra, and Mr. R. C. Singh, IPS (Retd.), former DGP, Punjab, along with other resource persons.
The sessions focused on developing a gender-sensitive perspective among police personnel, understanding gender-related issues and stereotypes, promoting inclusive policing practices and strengthening communication and community engagement. Participants were encouraged to reflect upon their experiences at Police Stations and identify practical ways of making policing more responsive to the needs of women and other vulnerable sections of society.
The programme follows a Training of Trainers (ToT) model, under which 60 Police Officers from various districts were trained as Master Trainers through a specially designed module. These Master Trainers subsequently cascaded the training to police personnel at the Police Station level, ensuring that the content remained relevant to the field realities faced by police officials.
The gender sensitization initiative is also designed as a research-based impact assessment. A baseline survey of the participating officials was undertaken before commencement of the training to assess attitudes and perceptions relating to gender. Following completion of the training intervention, an endline survey will be conducted with the same officials. The findings will enable J-PAL, in partnership with Punjab Police, to assess the impact and effectiveness of the gender-sensitization interventions delivered through the three rounds.
The second day of Round-III further strengthened the focus of Punjab Police on citizen-centric, inclusive and gender-responsive policing, while reinforcing the importance of sensitising police personnel at all levels to ensure a professional, respectful and supportive policing environment.
The third and concluding day of Round-III will be held on 20 August 2026, focusing on Group T1 – the women only group, comprising 398 Punjab Police Mahila Mittars posted on Women helpdesk in 384 police stations of the state .