Force International was founded by Jane Townsley, a retired UK senior police officer and now an experienced gender specialist in the field of policing and security. Jane has worked with several internationally recognised organisations, in both conflict and conflict affected environments. Some examples include UN Women, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Security Centre for Security Sector Governance (DCAF), and with NGO’s or donor funded projects.
A notable example of Jane’s work was as co-author of the UN Women Global Handbook on Gender Responsive Police Services for Women and Girls Subject to Violence for which she has provided technical advice and training on the implementation of Gender Responsive Policing (GRP) and Gender Responsive Service delivery by Justice and Security Sector actors. She has also authored other knowledge products for UN Women, including the East Africa Police Chiefs Cooperation Organization (EAPCCO) Gender Responsive Law Enforcement Handbook and co-developed with INTERPOL a training course, Championing Change: Inclusive Leadership for Law Enforcement. She has provided technical advice on the implementation of Gender Responsive Policing (GRP) to countries, police and security institutions across 4 continents.
Jane is experienced in strategy and policy development, assessments, needs analysis, implementation of change processes, and monitoring and evaluation for existing security institutions to improve service delivery. She is a member of the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM). She has also advised on and supported the establishment of women’s networks in both law enforcement and military settings and has worked directly with existing networks on strategic planning and strengthening governance processes and capacity building.
Jane served as both President (2009-2015) and Executive Director (2018-2024) of the International Association of Women Police (IAWP).
Jane has a Master of Science degree (MSc) in Security, Conflict & International Development during which she conducted research into the impact of Gender Responsive Policing on women officers, police organisations and local communities within the Western Balkans. She has also co-authored an academic paper, Risks versus Transformational Opportunities in Gender-Responsive Security Sector Reform and a chapter focusing on women in the book, Culture, Diversity and Criminal Justice.
Jane has been recognised for her services to women in policing by both the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP)’s 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award, and the International Association of Women Police (IAWP)’s 2026 Heritage Award.
Jane is a member of the Institute of Leadership (IOL) and is a member of the Global Consortium Group (GCG).
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