CHENNAI: A multi-institutional study led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has found that increasing the representation of women in India’s police force can significantly improve trust among survivors of gender-based crimes and encourage crime reporting.
However, it warns that greater reliance on mediation in such cases over criminal prosecution may embolden repeat offenders and weaken legal accountability.
Researchers examined whether a higher proportion of women officers leads to better justice outcomes for survivors of gender-based crimes. The study found that greater participation of women in policing improves victims’ confidence in the justice system, leading to higher reporting of gender-based crimes. It also observed that women officers help foster a more empathetic and victim-centric organisational culture.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Systems Research and Behavioral Science, the study was jointly authored by researchers from IIT Madras, T A Pai Management Institute, Bengaluru, IIM Lucknow, and SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu.
It involved focus group discussions with law enforcement personnel from across the country, with the findings validated by criminologists, psychologists, social workers and legal experts. The participants represented 11 states and comprised 17 men and eight women, providing diverse professional and regional perspectives on gender-based crimes.