Canadian Foreign Minister Marc Garneau and Canada’s Ambassador to Jordan Donica Pottie joined Public Security Directorate (PSD) officials Brigadier General Moutasem Mahdi Abu Shattal, assistant of the General Director for Operations, and Brigadier General Ismail Ahmed Al Saghir, acting director of the Training Directorate, on Thursday for a showcasing of advanced training of women police officers in firearms and tactical search for critical incident response. 

The specialised training is being delivered by the Policing Support Team (PST) on behalf of the Government of Canada through funding from the Counter-Terrorism Capacity Building Programme, according to a Canadian embassy statement.

The event is part of a broader initiative to build the capacity of female police officers for operational security roles. Since 2018, Canada has supported critical incident response training in the form of women firearms and search techniques courses, as well as emergency medical training. 

The firearms course aims to enhance the safety and security of all women and girls, by having an inclusive and diverse police agency that reflects the population it serves, the statement said

The emergency medical training gives both male and female officers the skills to provide lifesaving medical interventions during a critical incident to keep injured people alive until medical professionals are able to safely enter the scene. Due to the tactical firearms and search courses, both working level and senior leadership are recognising the operational value and strength of female police officers.

This project responds to Jordan and Canada’s combined vision to support the global efforts to fight terrorism by empowering female police officers to the frontlines.

 The initiative addresses both the Jordanian National Action Plan (JONAP) for advancing the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (UNSCR 1325); as well as Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP) to help strengthen global peace and security through increased participation of women in peacebuilding and women’s representation in the security sector.

The PSD’s commitment to JONAP and UNSCR 1325 are a model for other law enforcement agencies in the region, the statement said. 

As such, the PSD was recently selected to receive funding from UN Women’s Elsie Initiative Fund for Uniformed Women in Peace Operations. Their $1 million project will support the construction of a dedicated training centre for women police. The new building will streamline women’s career paths to increase uniformed women’s participation in UN peace operations, including in leadership roles. 

Once established, the facility will be well positioned to become a regional training centre of excellence to prepare police women for deployment to UN peace operations, according to the statement.