From 20 to 24 January 2025, a course on the topic concerning women’s leadership was held at the Scuola di Perfezionamento per le Forze di Polizia (SFP). This course is part of the initiatives of cooperation with the International Partnership Programme (I.P.P.) of the Ministry of the Interior of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This event, which was attended by twenty management grade police women from Saudi Arabia, confirms, once again, the SFP international vocation and its commitment in fostering the exchange of experiences between police forces from different backgrounds.
The course, which represented a unique opportunity to strengthen bilateral cooperation, was attended by management grade and senior police officers from the four Italian Police Forces, who shared with their Saudi colleagues the best practices acquired over the years. Several experts in leadership and personnel management participated in this event and gave their contribution. They provided a comprehensive overview of the evolution and importance of women’s role in the Italian Police Forces, in a context of strong cultural integration.
The course was opened by Prefetto Annunziato Vardè, Director of the International Relations Service of the Police Forces Coordination and Planning Office, as well as by National Police Dirigente Generale Maurizio Vallone, Director of the SFP, who emphasized that this meeting represented a crucial stage in the strenghtening of cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia, since it is the result of the agreements reached last year by the Interior Ministers of the two countries. Moreover, they focused special attention on the empowerment of women in security institutions.
The interest in women’s leadership, in a context where tradition and innovation are strictly connected, brought about a lively discussion on common challenges and effective solutions to promote gender equality in police management. The focus of the meeting was put on the experiences of the Italian police women, thus analyzing the organizational and operational methods that have enabled an increasing participation of women in the national security framework.
This initiative not only exerted a strong impact on the strengthening of cooperation between Italy and Saudi Arabia, but also underlined the value of an intercultural dialogue that fosters inclusiveness and the enhancement of women’s expertise in the professional sphere. As a matter of fact, the partnership between the police forces of the two countries demonstrates the importance to share experiences and promote common values, with the aim of building a safer and fairer future, thus strengthening the bond between two realities that, although different, come together to achieve shared goals of growth and development.
