Waroona police station reaches gender parity milestone with equal number of male and female officers

Waroona police station has reached a milestone, recently achieving gender parity among its officers.

There are now three male and three female officers based at the station, serving the town alongside Preston beach and Lake Clifton.

Officer-in-charge Sgt Keith Tarver said the change had taken place through natural progression with the police force.

“When seeking replacements, the female officers who have applied have been the most competitive and as such the best for the advertised positions,” he said.

Having worked in other locations across the State with an equal ratio or a high number of female officers , Sgt Tarver said he personally feels it is a positive for both the team and the community.

“Having a balance allows different perspectives to be taken into account when dealing with the variety of situations we face on a daily basis,” he said.

Sgt Tarver noted the public had responded positively to seeing more female officers attending to tasks or going to meetings.

“Having female officers attending family violence incidents provides a level of empathy and support to vulnerable victims and children in addition to the support offered by our male officers,” he said.

“Further, our female officers are great communicators and can generally de-escalate situations to avoid conflict. Saying that, the female officers are trained the same and carry the same equipment meaning if a use of force is required they are very capable of taking control of those situations too.”

He hopes to maintain the current parity while he remains the OIC of the station.