International Women’s Day: The constantly evolving culture of public service

The university made the announcement to mark Friday’s International Women’s Day (March 8), which Ms Blyth, deputy chief executive at the College of Policing, says is an “important marker to reflect on the impact women have had on our history”.

“I’m a female senior leader in policing but I’m also a mum. I’m a grandma. I’m a sister. We are half the population and yet we know that our experiences, or the things that we’ve achieved, haven’t always been recognised. International Women’s Day is an important day to take stock,” she said.

“It’s also an important day to consider progress. We are making real strides and I’ve seen massive changes in the role of women in our society and in the public sector.

“However, this isn’t the case in other parts of the world. Therefore, we must consider from an international perspective. For example, in policing, we often think about how women in policing are perceived internationally as well as in our country.”

Ms Blyth is no stranger to working in male-dominated fields during her 32-year career. Before policing she worked in probation, youth justice and prisons, so she has witnessed “vast changes” in gender equality, particularly in the integration of flexible working patterns to accommodate caring responsibilities.

“The shift in flexibility has seen more women coming into the workplace in all sorts of frontline roles and in senior leadership roles,” she said.

“The other shift I’ve seen is changing opinions on what leadership means and a sense that we also value collaboration and compassionate leadership.

“Women bring so much positivity to policing, which isn’t often highlighted. I have seen women across all ranks perform exactly the same roles as men and achieve the same. The stereotypes of jobs for men and jobs for women don’t apply anymore.”

As the national police lead for violence against women and girls, Ms Blyth speaks “with pride” about her colleagues, on the front line, who are working hard to tackle crimes against women and girls.

However, she recognises there is still a lot of work to be done. She said: “The recently published Angiolini report showed we have a long way to go. In the UK, one in three women die at the hands of a man.

“In policing, the College of Policing has published a new Code of Ethics which will take time to embed. However, we need to recognise that we are dealing with an epidemic and we need a culture change, not just within policing, but across society.”

Ms Blyth will talk more on these themes at the ‘Culture in Public Service’ conference. She will discuss mobilising responses to crimes that disproportionately affect women and girls, addressing challenges faced by policing, and fostering cultural changes within policing to enhance community trust and confidence.

The ‘Culture in Public Service’ conference will be held at ICC Wales on June 20. The conference is aimed at chief officers in the police and fire service, chief executives and people services, and organisational development leads across public service organisations.

Further information is available on the University of South Wales website https://www.southwales.ac.uk/business-services/conferencing-facilities/culture-in-public-service-conference/