In celebration of International Women’s Day on Sunday 8th March, Counter Terrorism Policing spoke to a number of women across the CT Network about the work they do to keep the UK safe.
Find out more below about the roles they play in Counter Terrorism Policing and their successes to date.
Kath is the Head of CT Policing for the South East region and currently the only female CTP Head. She has been a police officer for 28 years, beginning her career In Hampshire Constabulary before transferring to Thames Valley Police in 2014. She has been a detective for most of her career and worked on a number of high profile investigations, most recently the novichok poisoning in Salisbury in March 2018. She was named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in 2019 and has received the Queens Policing Medal for distinguished service.
Kath said, “I realise I am totally biased, but policing is a fantastic career which I would encourage any woman to consider. Most of the women I have worked with throughout my career seem to have a natural empathy, ability to see through and solve problems and do so in an inclusive and collaborative way. There are many more of us than there were when I joined in 1992 and working together with our male colleagues the police service is enriched by the different perspective women bring.”
Jane Corrigan joined Met in 1997. She is currently a Detective Superintendent working within the Counter Terrorism Command based at New Scotland Yard. Jane has worked at tactical and strategic level over the years, with the key aim of inspiring those she leads to provide a first class service to partners and the public. Jane previously she has specialised in proactive policing tackling guns, gangs and drugs as well as child abuse, rape investigations, family liaison and financial investigations. Some significant contributions throughout her career include having worked on the 7/7 bombings, the Biggin Hill air crash, and the London riots and the Westminster Bridge terrorist attack. Prior to joining CT Policing, Jane led on a project to safeguarding vulnerable children by examining adverse childhood experience.
Jane said: ‘The professionalism and dedication of the officers I have worked with always leaves me incredibly proud. But on this day when we celebrate the contribution made by women, I reflect on all of the women I have worked with. They have all brought their own special skills and perspective to their jobs, whether it is working on an armed response team or dealing with traffic issues, we all undoubtedly help support our collective aim to deliver a first class service to the public.”
Vicky has been a serving police officer for 28 years, having joined the Met in 1991. Before joining CT Policing she worked in a variety of roles. She started out her career on a response team performing duties like street patrols and dealing with public order incidents, before moving into specialist detective roles which included surveillance and working in the Child Abuse Command. Most recently she has brought her skills and knowledge to Counter Terrorism Policing as the Deputy National Co-ordinator for Prevent.
Prevent is part of the Government’s CONTEST strategy to combat terrorism, it is a partnership approach to protecting vulnerable people from being drawn into radicalisation. As part of her role Vicky links in with front line police officers, schools, charities, businesses and government departments. She also travels across the country speaking to communities, women’s groups and international representatives to ensure that robust systems are in place to protect vulnerable people and that communities are strong around protecting themselves from individuals who may try to infiltrate groups to promote a culture of hatred.
Vicky said: “Today we are celebrating International Women’s Day and as part of this I want to acknowledge the massive influence women and mothers’ have, particularly in my area of work. Women can be a unifying factor that cuts across all ethnicities and faiths. It is often the mother in a family who will maintain contact, despite difficult circumstances, who are key protective factors in a family unit and may be party to information around a child or adult in the family who is vulnerable and needs help and support.
“When we appeal to communities groups to come forward and be represented, so often it is the men who put themselves forward which is great but I also need to speak to those women in society who can influence and change attitudes. For Prevent to work, we need a “whole society approach” so that there is a shared understanding and purpose to effect real and sustained change”.
“I want to use this important day to stress how important women are in this safeguarding picture, if anyone has concerns around anyone or an organisation, they should get help and get support.
Lou who joined the police in 2004 and has worked in frontline policing in many roles including as Safer Schools Officer, and in Community and Partnership Engagement in Trident Gang Crime Command.
Lou now works in Counter Terrorism Policing, engaging with young people so that as an organisation we can learn from them and understand what influences them and how best to protect vulnerable young people.
Lou said: “International Women’s Day gives us the opportunity to celebrate the role women play in society. I work with young women who are helping us to keep people safe, this takes courage and I am often in awe of so much commitment by those who are still only on the brink of adulthood.”