United Nations (UN) sustainable development goal 5 calls for the elimination of violence, and goal 16 calls for strong and stable judicial institutions (United Nations 2016). The composition and culture of a nation’s police force play an essential role in its ability to achieve these goals. Employing a diverse workforce, particularly in terms of female representation in all ranks within the policing command structure, is a vital determinant for setting a police force’s culture. However, many police forces remain as traditional, male-dominant hierarchical institutions (Rabe-Hemp 2018). In England and Wales, although the proportion of female police officers has reached 30.4 per cent of the police force, the progression of women to the highest police ranks has declined (Home Office 2019). This article considers the influence that female representation can have within police forces on the effective management of domestic and sexually violent crimes that disproportionately affect women. It will highlight the barriers to female recruitment and their progression, as well as suggest a series of recommendations to improve opportunities for women in policing. In doing so, the article will consequently suggest improvements to women’s access to justice, thereby providing a platform for achieving these UN goals.

中文翻译：

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为什么警务中的性别平等对于实现联合国可持续发展目标 5 和 16 很重要

联合国（UN）可持续发展目标 5 呼吁消除暴力，目标 16 呼吁建立强大而稳定的司法机构（联合国 2016）。一个国家警察部队的构成和文化对其实现这些目标的能力起着至关重要的作用。雇用多元化的劳动力，特别是在警务指挥结构中所有级别的女性代表方面，是设置警察部队文化的重要决定因素。然而，许多警察部队仍然是传统的、男性主导的等级制度（Rabe-Hemp 2018）。在英格兰和威尔士，虽然女警官的比例已达到警察部队的 30.4%，但女性晋升到最高警察级别的人数有所下降（内政部 2019）。本文考虑了女性代表在警察部队中对有效管理对女性造成不成比例影响的家庭暴力和性暴力犯罪的影响。它将突出女性招募及其进步的障碍，并提出一系列建议以改善女性在警务中的机会。因此，本文将建议改善妇女诉诸司法的机会，从而为实现这些联合国目标提供一个平台。