“Staka Woman Tumas”: An Examination of Police Perspectives on Gender-Balancing within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force

Abstract

In countries emerging out of conflict, state-building initiatives tend to prioritize gender-balancing. Post-conflict police reform in the Solomon Islands aligned with this set standard, as capacity-building efforts within the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) prioritized the empowerment, inclusion, and promotion of women within the force. Through the use of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) this study investigated, identified, and described common perceptions held by eighteen (18) officers about how they viewed gender reform in the RSIPF. The research found that although officers believed that gender-balancing was necessary, the increased inclusion of women conflicted with their traditional roles and positions and brought several challenges to the effective functioning of the force. It was also revealed that officers were of the view that the organization was not yet ready to fully embrace gender-balancing. The arguments presented herein further build on scholarly discussions about gender equality in policing organizations in small-island developing states in the Pacific.

Keywords:

• Gender
• gender-balancing
• post-conflict police reform
• Solomon Islands
• Royal Solomon Islands Police Force
• Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands

Notes

1 RAMSI was an intervention mission sent to the Solomon Islands to address the ethnic conflict. The deployment was headed by a Special Coordinator and of comprised two thousand, two hundred and twenty-five (2,225) military, police and civilian officials drawn from eleven (11) Pacific Islands. The mission was predominantly lead and funded by Australia and New Zealand.