The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru, and the Karnataka State Police are jointly organising a roundtable conference on lessons and insights from police training initiatives related to citizen-friendly and gender responsive policing in India.

Background

The gender and policing project at NLSIU has been engaging with the Karnataka State Police since 2021 on strengthening gender responsive policing in the state. NLSIU’s study on the Status of Women in Karnataka State Police, conducted in partnership with the KSP and published in 2025, highlights opportunities for strengthening the department’s policies, training and other measures for addressing gender imbalance in the police. Training particularly can be strengthened in terms of equipping new female and male recruits in navigating gender dynamics at the workplace and addressing gender stereotypes. The study notes low levels of awareness and sensitisation among police personnel (male and female) on the statutory and policy commitments on gender diversity and equality and their relevance for the police department. Moreover, views questioning the need and suitability of women in/for policing were widespread, especially among male personnel.

Drawing upon these findings, NLSIU has developed a leadership training module on “Gender Diversity, Equality and Inclusion in the Police Station”. This is a refresher module aimed at middle-level supervisory officers (male and female) with 10-15 years of experience at the police station. The purpose of the module is to improve the knowledge and understanding among police personnel of the role and importance of women in police, persistent structural impediments to women’s growth, and ways in which the department can ensure an equitable working environment for all employees. The sessions cover topics such as the history of women’s entry into policing, relevant legal and policy measures, gaps in women’s representation at different levels (through official data), nature and scale of gender-based discrimination and harassment faced by female personnel, principles of and jurisprudence around gender diversity and equality, and strategies for managing gender dynamics in the police station. Through a combination of lectures, presentations, interactive exercises and group work, the training aims to facilitate a collective dialogue between male and female personnel with the hope of nurturing a shared ownership of ensuring a just and equitable police institution.

Between 2024 and 2025, NLSIU has delivered around 10 training programs mainly for sub-inspector and inspector rank officers at the Karnataka Police Academy, Mysuru and the Police Training College in Kalaburagi combined. Consistent with the findings of the NLSIU’s published report on the Status of Women in Karnataka State Police, these sessions also indicate that many officers continue to demonstrate limited familiarity with fundamental legal provisions and constitutional jurisprudence related to gender discrimination and diversity.

Building on these efforts, NLSIU and the Karnataka State Police are jointly organising the roundtable conference, inviting other state police academies to facilitate cross-learning and exchange of ideas and insights on effective training methods and approaches about gender equity in police institutions.

Scope and Objectives of the Roundtable Conference

The roundtable conference will deliberate on lessons and insights from police training initiatives related to citizen-friendly and gender responsive policing across the country. Greater focus will be placed on initiatives that seek to address gender bias and discrimination within the police, with special attention to police station work. It is hoped that a collective dialogue and open discussions will contribute to more robust training interventions and programs, in Karnataka as well as in other states.

Thematic Areas of Focus

The conference seeks to curate presentations on the following range of topics:

• Training courses on addressing gender bias, stereotypes and discrimination against female personnel; diversity and inclusion; managing gender dynamics in police stations; and confidence-building/skill-building training opportunities for female personnel
• Changes in police training syllabus with regard to gender (basic or refresher)
• Training Needs Assessment – good practices
• Training Impact Assessment – good practices (including scenario-based training)

Participants

Participants will include:

• Senior police officers in charge of training
• Senior representatives from state police academies
• Experienced police trainers from police training colleges
• Representatives from the MHA-appointed Committee on Police Training
• Representatives from the Bureau of Police Research and Development
• Representatives from the National Police Academy
• Experts, lawyers and/or academics with experience in police training
• Retired police officers (recently retired with experience in training)

Agenda

Will be updated shortly.