BRUSSELS – More and more women are choosing a career in the police. Just over 25 percent of all police in Belgium are female. And as much as 45 percent of all higher level officers are women.

The federal police wants to recruit at least 2,000 new staff in 2007. More than 35 percent of the candidates during last year’s recruitment campaign were female. In 2001 that was only 5 percent.

For the first time ever in Belgium there are currently more women than men enrolled at the policy academy of Oost-Vlaanderen.

Alain Duchatelet, director general of personnel at the federal police, says this is a positive development.

“Women provoke less aggression during interventions, and they are certainly as good as their male colleagues at maintaining public order.”

[Copyright Expatica News 2007]

Subject: Belgian news