Edmonton police signs 30 Forward Pledge to recruit and retain more women officers

Edmonton Police Service signed the 30 Forward Pledge on Wednesday, committing to increase women in its sworn ranks beyond 30%, with a goal of advancing more women into leadership positions.

Chief Warren Driechel signed the pledge, which is a national initiative focused on recruiting and retaining women in policing. "I signed the 30 Forward Pledge today to show my commitment, and that of our service, to increasing this number beyond 30%, with the future vision of seeing many more of those women advance to positions of leadership throughout their careers with us," Driechel said.

Women currently represent 22 per cent of EPS sworn police, and are represented in almost all ranks including up to Deputy Chief level. Over the past five years, women have averaged 23 per cent of EPS ranks.

The pledge aims to identify and address cultural or systemic barriers affecting promotion and retention of women within the service. Several police organizations across Canada have committed to the initiative.

The commitment comes as Edmonton and other Canadian cities face ongoing questions about diversity and retention in policing. The specific timeline for achieving the 30 per cent target was not stated.