Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti, of Indonesia, has been awarded the 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year. She will receive this honor at a special ceremony at UN Headquarters in New York on Wednesday. The award will be presented during the annual United Nations Police Week, taking place from 13 to 17 November. First Sergeant Rismayanti serves as a Crime Database Officer for MINUSCA and has played a crucial role in developing a database that helps UN Police to map and analyze crime and disorder hotspots. This database has enabled the country’s security forces to plan their operations more effectively in support of the local civilians.
‘Significant contribution’
“Police First Sergeant Rismayanti’s innovation and efforts to leverage data within UN peacekeeping and the Central African Republic police have made a significant contribution to enhancing security for vulnerable communities, including women and girls,” said Jean-Pierre Lacroix, the head of UN Peace Operations.
First Sergeant Rismayanti expressed her gratitude for being able to use her technological skills for the benefit of those the mission is serving. She hopes that winning this award will encourage women and girls to pursue all fields of expertise in policing. At 27 years old, she is the youngest-ever recipient of the United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year award. She started her career with the Indonesian National Police in 2014 and has worked in various roles, including public information officer, training, administration, and logistics.
Police First Sergeant Renita Rismayanti, of Indonesia, wins the 2023 United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year Award.
Paving the way
“Having accomplished so much by embracing technology in a traditionally male-dominated field, Police First Sergeant Rismayanti represents the future of United Nations policing,” said UN Police Adviser Faisal Shahkar. “She and her colleagues are helping to build trust and confidence between local authorities and communities, which makes our work more effective and people safer.”
The United Nations Woman Police Officer of the Year award was established in 2011 to recognize the exceptional contributions of women police officers to UN peace operations and to promote women’s empowerment.
Near decade long mission
MINUSCA was established in April 2014 under a mandate from the Security Council to help end intercommunal violence in the Central African Republic. It has just under 18,000 personnel, including over 1,630 uniformed personnel, of whom around 2,415 serve as police officers. Throughout its deployment, there have been over 160 fatalities.