WOMEN IN POLICING
THE POWER OF VISIBILITY
Inspired by nearly two decades of service, Inspector Liz Perry reflects on the women who lifted her up, the culture shift reshaping policing, and the power of representation to change lives and careers
Women in policing are reshaping the future of the service, and Inspector Liz Perry’s journey shows just how powerful that change can be. With 17 and a half years in Leicestershire Police, Liz has lived through a cultural shift that has transformed not only her own career but the landscape for women entering policing today. When she first joined, she remembers a stark imbalance: “There was massive disproportionality in the number of female officers we had in the front line, even female PCSOs, female sergeants,” she said. The absence of women in visible roles made it difficult for new recruits to imagine themselves progressing, let alone thriving, in the organisation. She recalled when she looked around
early in her career: “there was a lack of other women in senior ranks you could identify with.” Without role models who were mothers, carers, or women balancing complex lives, the path ahead felt narrower. But over time, she has watched that change dramatically. Today, she said proudly, “In Leicestershire, we’re almost at 50/50 for people joining, matched female and male.” That shift is more than a statistic; it is a sign policing is becoming a place where women can see themselves reflected at every level. For Liz, seeing women in leadership
18 | POLICE | APRIL | 2026
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
