This is an important work, the kind that advances our understanding of changing gendered power relations, women's agency, and social transformations occurring throughout Pakistan. It addresses the important issue of policing which has been shrouded in controversy due to the fears most women have of going to a police station. Ahmed deftly addresses the impact of the introduction of female police officers and female police stations and the actual multi-faceted impacts they have had on both society and on the lives of the women police officers themselves.

Anita M. Weiss, Professor Emerita, University of Oregon, US; author of Interpreting Islam, Modernity and Women's Rights in Pakistan Rights in Pakistan

A groundbreaking, richly nuanced study, this book shatters simplistic narratives about women in policing by centering the diverse experiences of Pakistani female officers. Through ethnographic insight and intersectional analysis, it reveals how gender, region, rank, and institutional culture intersect to shape their roles in a complex, evolving security landscape.

Venessa Garcia, Professor, New Jersey City University, USA

Grounded in meticulous ethnographic research, Sadaf Ahmad offers a profound rethinking of gender and policing. Tracing the experiences of female officers in Pakistan, this outstanding book reveals how history, politics, and intra-national variations shape policing, while critically interrogating dominant gendered narratives on police socialisation, violence and corruption. A must-read for scholars, practitioners, and students interested in global perspectives of policing and reform.

Melissa Jardine, PhD, Fellow, Global Law Enforcement and Public Health Association