Tamil Nadu is becoming a national example for including more women in the police force, said Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin on Thursday.He was speaking at the closing event of the 11th National Conference of Women in Police 2025, held in Chennai for the first time.Udhayanidhi said that 43% of the law and order police stations in Tamil Nadu are now led by women Station House Officers (SHOs). He called the conference a space for discussion, policy-making, empowerment, and coordination. He also mentioned that it was former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi who started the recruitment of women into the Tamil Nadu police in 1973.

Deputy Chief Minister Udhayanidhi Stalin said that Tamil Nadu’s women police force has grown from just 22 women to nearly 27,000 today, making it one of the largest in India. He said former Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s decision in 1989 to reserve 30% of government jobs for women helped many women become police officers. Some of them now hold top positions like Assistant Director General of Police and Inspector General of Police.

Udhayanidhi added that women in the Tamil Nadu police work in many areas like crime investigation, traffic control, intelligence, cybercrime, railway police, Chief Minister’s security, and even commando teams.To honour their hard work, the state has started the ‘Kalaignar Annual Award and Trophy’ for outstanding women police officers.
He also said that Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s Nava Ratna welfare schemes, launched in 2023, are helping women police by providing hostels and rest facilities.