Abstract
In England and Wales, despite having cracked the glass ceiling in policing, the number of women holding leadership positions remains disappointingly low. Drawing on data from interviews carried out with senior policewomen, this article provides an insight into the ‘making’ of the police leader. It offers an account of the gendered nature of the climbing frame available to police officers for their progression through the ranks and details the significance of ‘time’ as a defining feature and key resource for achieving a successful career in policing. Through doing and managing ‘time’, police officers are able to accomplish organisational commitment and credibility, two fundamental yet essentially informal competencies necessary for police leadership. Above all, this article challenges the idea that women are free to progress within the police organisation and argues that women aspiring to police leadership continue to face a series of powerful, albeit less obvious, hurdles in their climb to the top.
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