Police Constable Ethel Maeue, 39, from Mbaelelea in the Malaita Province had always dreamt of becoming a police officer and when she was recruited in February 2002 that dream was fulfilled.
“I was only one of four females among the 70 officers recruited during that year but that did not put me off,” says Constable Ethel, who is currently only one of three Police Prosecutors stationed in the capital Honiara.
The situation got worse in 2004, when Constable Ethel was recruited for an upgrade.
“Out of the total of 40 officers who were recruited for that upgrade, only 17 of us passed the recruitment and I was the only female. But that did not bother me,” says a confident Constable Ethel.
Except for a short stint at the Kukum Traffic Centre in Honiara, Constable Ethel has been a Police Prosecutor since 2005.
Constable Ethel, the mother of a 21-year-old son, says, “Being a Police Prosecutor is not an easy task as some people might like to think. But being a mother in the home is also not an easy task.”
As a Police Prosecutor, Constable Ethel travels to the provinces on court circuits in the provinces doing all tasks including mentioning cases and trials, pre-trial conferences, summoning witnesses and standing in court before the Magistrates during the actual trial.
“It is a challenging job being a police prosecutor, but I love my job as a police prosecutor. I feel that I bring justice to people of Solomon Islands. The support I get from my family including four brothers and four sisters, including a twin sister, gives me the strength to continue to serve the people of our nation,” Constable Ethel explains.
Despite the challenges working as a police officer, Constable Ethel has advice for any young women still looking at a possible career.
“Policing is a good career. It’s not only for men but also women,” says Constable Ethel.
The Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSIPF) aims to recruit 50/50 men and women into the Force. This was achieved during the first recruit for this year 2017. But the lack of female applicants meant that this is not able to be fulfilled in the second recruit for 2017.
“I want to encourage more young women to apply to become police officers. Like any other job being a police officer also has its challenges but as women we have our own way of dealing with challenges that arise within our homes. We should do likewise in our careers,” concluded Constable Ethel.