IIT Madras study finds participation of women police officers improves trust and reporting of gender crimes

A multi-institute study led by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has found that greater participation of women in policing encourages reporting of gender-based crimes, institutional responsiveness and complainant trust in India.

According to the official IIT Madras press release, the research also warned against over-reliance on informal conflict resolution mechanisms in gender-based crime cases, stating that excessive dependence on alternative dispute resolution (ADR) could weaken long-term legal accountability and embolden repeat offenders.

According to the Bureau of Police Research and Development, women constituted only 11.75% of India’s police force in 2022.

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The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Systems Research and Behavioural Science.

Women officers improve complainant trust

The researchers conducted pan-India focus group discussions involving law enforcement personnel and validated the findings with criminologists, psychologists, social workers and advocates.

The paper was authored by Kandaswamy Paramasivan from IIT Madras, Thangatur Sukumar Hariharan from T A Pai Management Institute, Bengaluru, Nabila Khan from IIM Lucknow and S. Thejaswin from SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Tamil Nadu.

“We found that greater participation of women in policing improves institutional responsiveness towards complainants of gender-based crimes and encourages higher reporting rates by fostering greater complainants' trust,” said Kandaswamy Paramasivan, retired IPS officer and professor of practice in the Departments of Management Studies and Data Science and AI at IIT Madras.

“Women police officers were also found to influence organisational culture positively by bringing a more empathetic and caregiving approach to policing,” he added.

IIT Madras: Researchers warn against ‘ADR paradox’

The study highlighted what researchers described as the “Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) paradox”.

According to the researchers, some women police personnel may encourage informal dispute resolution instead of registering formal complaints in order to protect family stability and reduce pressure on law enforcement agencies.

However, the study warned that such practices, if used indiscriminately, could encourage repeat offenders and weaken formal Justice systems.

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“There appears to be a tendency among some women police officials to encourage alternate dispute resolution rather than formally registering a complaint,” said Thangatur Sukumar Hariharan, Associate Professor at T A Pai Management Institute, Bengaluru.

“While this approach may be intended to preserve family stability and reduce the burden on law-enforcement agencies, it can also embolden repeat offenders in gender-based crimes if used indiscriminately,” he added.

The researchers stressed that the complainant's preference should remain central in deciding whether to pursue ADR or formal legal action.

Need for institutional reforms

Nabila Khan, assistant professor at IIM Lucknow and co-author of the study, said meaningful reforms require not only higher recruitment of women police officers but also leadership opportunities, institutional support and accountability frameworks.

“The research underscores the need to balance empathetic and victim-centric resolution mechanisms with formal legal accountability to ensure sustainable justice outcomes,” Khan said.

S Thejaswin from SRM Institute of Science and Technology said the increased presence of women officers gives survivors of gender-based violence “a crucial layer of psychological comfort” that improves reporting rates.

The study also noted that policy measures such as reservation mandates, maternity leave provisions, childcare leave and improved healthcare access have contributed to greater participation of women in policing.

Researchers further recommended specialised training for women police personnel, regular independent reviews of crimes against women, awareness campaigns and improvements in conviction rates to strengthen public trust in law enforcement systems.