Chief Constable shares her experiences as a woman in policing with students

Date: Tuesday, November 21, 2023

North Wales Police Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman shared her top policing priorities and provided an overview of her role, during a talk with students at Wrexham University.

Professional Policing students at the University heard from Ms Blakeman – the first female Chief Constable in the history of North Wales Police.

During the session, she discussed the Force’s key priorities, as well as sharing her experiences of being a woman in policing.

She said: “For me, my number one aim and the driving force behind everything I do is catching bad people doing bad things and keeping the community safe. That’s our absolute key priority – and that’s my motivation.

“Policing is a tough job but it’s an incredibly rewarding one. The job of policing is to be out there in the community, in which we serve, being visible and engaging with people. We are that thin blue line between what’s right and what isn’t.”

Ms Blakeman, who started her career in 1992, said she’s seen a “huge deal of change” as a woman in policing.

She said: “When I first started out in my role, policing was extremely male dominated. I was one of few women on my shift, that was hard and lonely at times. 

“It’s extremely pleasing to see how far we’ve come over the past three decades and there’s still plenty more to do in relation to achieving gender equality.”

Rounding off her talk to students before answering their questions, Ms Blakeman said: “My message to you is to be proud of what you’re doing, what you’re achieving and working towards and be grateful of everything you’re learning.

“Policing is about keeping people safe, being inclusive and making sure the community is a happy place to live and work, it’s about making a difference.”

Abigail Lee, a first-year Policing student, said: “Listening to North Wales Police’s first female Chief Constable was inspirational but also reassuring for me as a young woman – it was great to get an understanding of what drives her.

“It was a really interesting talk and great to hear her many and varied experiences from over the course of her career.”

Andy Jones, Senior Lecturer in Professional Policing, added: “I’d like to say an enormous thank you to the Chief Constable for giving up her time to share her personal experiences with our students – the next generation of North Wales’ policing professionals. The talk was fascinating and engaging, I know our students gained a great deal from it.”