Women working for the Bermuda Police Service, both officers and civilian staff, have benefited from a gender-responsive conference being held in the Cayman Islands, the force announced.

The International Association of Women in Police partnered with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office this year to host the Caribbean region’s 26th Gender-Responsive Policing Conference this week.

The conference serves as a meeting place for woman officers and civilian support staff from across the region to share ideas and experiences and establish relationships with their counterparts. It is being held under the theme of empowered women, empower women.

Na’imah Astwood, the Deputy Commissioner of Police, said the event continued to enhance the abilities of woman police officers and civilian staff.

“This event has over the years continued to positively impact the development of women police officers as well as women support staff, whose work is invaluable to the proper functioning of the all region’s law enforcement agencies,” she said.

Ms Astwood, who took part in a panel discussion on coaching and mentoring of woman officers, said it was “personally gratifying to see our female officers and police support staff be exposed to this experience”.

She said the event “affords them the opportunity to forge relationships with their counterparts from among the various Caribbean countries with whom we have so much in common”.

At the conference, Wanda Bluefort, the finance manager of the BPS, was presented with the Staff Member Award for her “outstanding effort to support, promote, improve and enhance policing”.

Acting Detective Chief Inspector Derricka Burns, Detective Sergeant Joanne Raposo, Sergeant Crystal Correia and the BPS Occupational Health Unit Director and Welfare Officer Isis Wellman are also attending the event.