UNITED NATIONS: A Pakistani police officer, currently serving a U.N. peace operation, has received the 2011 International Female Police Peacekeeper Award in recognition of her outstanding performance. Shahzadi Gulfam, who holds the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police, is the first Pakistani female officer to receive the prestigious award. At present she is deployed in the United Nations Mission in Timor-Leste (UNMIT) as the U.N. Police (UNPOL) Team Leader posted in the Timor-Leste National Police (PNTL) Vulnerable Persons Unit (VPU) in Dili, the capital. Shahzadi Gulfam was selected for the award by the United Nations Police Division in the Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions (OROLSI), Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO), and the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) International Scholarship Committee.She joined the Punjab Police in March 1985. During her career of over two decades, she performed equally well at the national and international level, according to an UNPOL press release. She was the first Pakistani female to be deployed in the UN Mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1997, and subsequently served in UN Missions in Kosovo in 1999 and Timor-Leste in 2007.
“Shahzadi Gulfam has shown enthusiasm, diligence and zeal in her work with the Vulnerable Persons Unit in Dili,” UNMIT Police Commissioner Luis Carillho said. “Sadly in post-conflict Timor-Leste domestic violence is a common crime and victims often find it difficult to file complaints,” she said, adding that “despite these difficulties Officer Gulfam has played an exceptional role in supporting and protecting vulnerable persons”.Currently, Ms. Gulfam is responsible for facilitating the referrals to shelter and medical assistance to victims of domestic violence, as well as for reporting on missing persons and human trafficking.
Her duties include liaising with the Justice Ministry to provide legal redress to victims. She also coordinates with health institutions on the provision of psychological support to victims.The International Female Police Peacekeeper Award was delivered at the opening ceremony of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP) annual training conference on Sunday in Lexington, Kentucky, the news release said.Twelve award applications, which represent female police officers from 11 countries serving in seven United Nations peace missions worldwide, were submitted for this competitive award. Shahzadi Gulfam has also excelled in golf and athletics. – APP
