A young woman fills out an online application form to enroll in the Royol Police Cadet Academy
After 107 years. the Royol Police Cadet Academy is finally opening its doors to women. For its first female class, the academy is accepting 70 students aged between 16 and 21.
Competition will be fierce. Yesterday, hundreds of young woman flocked to the academy on the first day that applications were accepted. Many others applied online.
The head of the academy, Amarin Akarawong , said the female students would undertake the same training as the male cadets.
One completing the course, the graduates will be assigned to cases involving women and children. “Female victims of a crime will feel more comfort able with a famale officer,” Pol Li Gen Amarin said.
Thailand has 1,444 police station but this batch of female cadets will only assigned to those in major centres.
Applicants will have to pass a physical test includes running a kilometre in under seven minutes and swimming 50 metres in under three minutes.
That is not something that bothers Kanokporn Niyom who spent hours travelling by bus from the notheastem province of Bun Ram to be present on the first day of admissions. She came with three friends.
“I have improved my fitness since last November when I learned that the academy will take female students. I swim and run every week,” she said
“Women can do more than a desk job. We are as capable as men,” she added
Knokwan Pankaew, 18, travelled all the way from the southern province of Surat Thani by train to apply for a seat at the academy.
She said her choice of career was intended to fulfill her father’s dream
“My father wanted to be a policeman, but he could not make it because he was poor.” She said
But fulfilling her father’s ambition is not her only incentive.
Ms Knokwan said. “I want to arrest drug traffickers in Surat Thani There are many drug users and sellers in my community.”
She believes Thai society respects gender equality and so she does not think there will be any problem in a female police officer securing a senior rank.