Vietnam is eager to send female police students to the Thai Royal Police Cadet Academy as the two countries prepare to sign an agreement on study cooperation.
Once a Memorandum of Understanding has been signed, the students will be the first foreign female police cadets from Vietnam to study at the school, which has
produced 120 police women, said academy commissioner Pol Lt Gen Sakda Techakriangkrai.
The female students from Vietnam will be joined at a later date by police cadets from Myanmar to study in Thailand in the 2015 academic year.
“We also plan to jointly hold an Asean studies class with our neighbours next year,” Pol Lt Gen Sakda said.
The course, which will be taught in English, is designed for second year cadets to prepare them for the Asean Community, which starts next year.
The Royal Police Cadet Academy is known for its high standard of teaching and many foreign countries send their cadets to study at this 114-year-old institution, the oldest police school in the Southeast Asia.
The programme for female cadets has a good reputation as some the academy’s 120 graduates have been applauded for the way they handle criminal cases, especially those concerning female victims, Pol Lt Gen Sakda said, citing the latest assessment of their work.
As the number of crimes against women and children increase, the presence of women police grows more important, he said.
In many cases, victims may feel uneasy answering questions from male police officers, so policewomen are more suitable for the job, he said.
Among the 120 recent female graduates, 60 were posted to police stations nationwide, while the rest are currently under work probation.
Some policewomen have found work as deputy inspectors for crime prevention and suppression.
"The female officers are as strong as policemen," Pol Lt Gen Sakda said.
The academy's goal is to produce female police officers who are equally good at the theory side and the practical part of their jobs.