Police officers from Bradford have visited forces in Pakistan to observe the role of women there. Some stations they toured are staffed only by women.

The seven-strong delegation travelled to Azad Kashmir in Mirpur this month as part of an on-going exchange scheme.

West Yorkshire Police wants to boost the number of Asian female officers on its books, and the trip was aimed at sharing best practice.

Female officers in Pakistan do not work alongside their male colleagues and only deal with crimes involving women.

PC Anne Griffin, Toller Lane race relations officer with special responsibility for liaising with women's groups, was involved in the trip. She said: "Visiting and talking to women officers has reinforced my understanding of their role."

The women-only police stations in Pakistan were set up to ensure female victims can report problems with no fears.

Police deal with domestic-related incidents if they are reported by the victim, but safe houses are not available for women who make complaints about their husbands or other members of the family.

PC Griffin said: "I have seen and experienced for a few days a lifestyle that could never have been explained to me in any other way. The general conditions and social behaviour has clarified some of the practises in Bradford, especially when dealing with authority and reporting crime - or not."

Bradford community and race relations officer Inspector Martin Baines, who led the delegation, said he hoped to use the experience to recruit Muslim women into West Yorkshire Police.

"We are now more aware of their roles and the cultural issues which may create barriers," he said.

West Yorkshire Police was able to lift its two-year recruitment freeze last September and wants more Asian women to join. It only has nine Asian female officers out of 4,784. In Bradford there are 65,650 people of Pakistani origin - the majority originate from the Mirpur district.

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