Young women urged to consider Met career

Female officers in the Metropolitan Police have founded a programme to inspire young women to consider a career in policing.

MetGirlz aims to break down some of the stereotypes that exist between the police and young people in London.

On 18 August, officers celebrated the the graduation of 18 young women from north London who took part in a week-long initiative experiencing the roles and opportunities that a career in policing has to offer. 47 young women also graduated on 11 August, following a similar initiative in south London.

The participants had a tour of the organisation, where they visited the Marine Support Unit, the police dogs and their handlers, the police horses and the Mounted Branch, took part in Officer Safety Training and visited Public Order officers in Gravesend.

The scheme is aimed at young women aged 17-20, with an interest in policing, criminology or uniformed services.

PC Karen Brown, who founded the summer programme, said: “I wanted to give young women at the start of their careers the opportunity to see the variety of roles that the Metropolitan Police has to offer - an opportunity that I wished I had. I joined the Met quite late in my career, and I know if had the chance to go back I would have joined as soon as I could.

“Being able to build trust with such brilliant young women in communities across London, and inspire them to think of a different career, has been truly amazing and rewarding and I am excited to see where we can take the programme next.”

PC Claire Argyle, who led the roll out of the MetGirlz initiative, said: “We wanted to put young women from diverse backgrounds at the front and centre of this project. Often for young people living in London, their only experience of interacting with police is when things around them are going wrong.

“Welcoming their questions around why police operate the way they do, what it takes to join the service as a woman (‘what’s the fitness test like?!’), and giving these bright young women the chance to meet officers from all walks of the Met, we hope to change their perception of the service.

“This is the second year of running this programme that has seen more than 70 girls taking part. It has been really special to give so many amazing young women the opportunity to see the diversity of roles that the Met has to offer – and to speak to officers and staff about how they got here and what they love about their jobs. We want to increase the representation of women in the Met, especially those from diverse backgrounds that can bring so much to policing.”

Image by Franz P. Sauerteig from Pixabay