Charles Sturt University (CSU) has extended its policing and security expertise to support women in law enforcement in India and the Asia region.

CSU in close collaboration with the SVP National Police Academy, Hyderabad, and sponsor agency Interpol, recently co-hosted the International Women in Law Enforcement Conference - Leadership, Collaboration and Security, in Hyderabad, India.

The conference was attended by Australia's Deputy High Commissioner to India, Mr Chris Elstoft, and the Indian Minister of Human Resources, Smt. Smriti Zubin Irani, and approximately 125 women delegates from 24 counties across the international law enforcement community, particularly from the Asia region. Senior border security professionals from Sri Lanka, the US and Australia also attended.

Former senior police officer and now Dean of the CSU Faculty of Arts Professor Tracey Green (pictured) said, "The conference acknowledged women professionals at the very centre of law enforcement in India and internationally, and in pivotal leadership, management, and priority areas of operational and strategic importance.

"The geopolitical landscape, and more specifically the law enforcement landscape in which our women operate, has changed dramatically since many of us joined our respective law enforcement agencies and organisations.

"This conference has provided an opportunity to update our thinking and level of knowledge about future issues, and hopefully has encouraged all participants to reflect on what they know and to better work with each other to discover what we don't know.

"As a joint event, the conference helped to further develop important cross-institutional and international relationships, essential to understanding, mitigating and combating the threats posed to our communities and countries. It afforded delegates the opportunity to discuss and debate a wide range of issues in a professional forum comprising operational leaders, managers, and leading academics."

Key themes for discussion included organisational leadership and management; border security and organised crime; international collaboration; terrorism and radicalisation; the convergence of science, law and law enforcement; and cyber and forensic developments. There were also discussions about policy, operational and academic perspectives, and on issues of culture and restrictions on the development of women in law enforcement; the treatment of women and the limitations that are placed upon them, both directly and indirectly; and the emotional intelligence required to deal with life-changing issues.

During the conference Indian media reported that change is sweeping the law enforcement environment, which is no longer seen as a male-dominated industry, with several countries like Australia, South Africa, Estonia and Belgium showing an increasing number of women officers.

The conference was built around the CSU Australian Graduate School of Policing and Security's long-standing relationship with the National Police Academy for the delivery of the Indian Police Service Mid-Career Training Programme for Superintendents.

The International Women in law Enforcement Conference - Leadership, Collaboration & Security, Hyderabad, India, ran from Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 October 2015.