This Hyderabad woman cop takes challenges head on

Inspector Padma Palle shares her enriching, empowering UN peacekeeping mission in South Sudan

Hyderabad: Women can achieve anything they set their minds on, and who can prove it better than Padma Palle?

The woman police officer from Telangana recently returned from the United Nations peacekeeping mission in the Republic of South Sudan.

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An Inspector with city police, Padma is the only police officer from Telangana to be a part of the mission in 2020-21 and only the second woman police officer from the State to ever do so. Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as “a unique and dynamic instrument developed by the organisation as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace”.

Giving an insight on how she came to be a part of the mission, Padma, 39, says, “Whenever there’s a peacekeeping mission from the UN, all the countries are informed on the requirement of a certain number of police officers. After initial selections, an assessment team from each State conducts three tests – report writing, driving and firing. Once we clear the tests, we go to Delhi for more tests before a merit list is announced. Based on this list, we are deployed in different conflict countries. I gave my United Nations Selection Assistance and Assessment Team (SAAT) exam in 2018 and embarked on my mission in February 2020. After spending one year and one month there I returned back home in March 2021.”

Padma says her experience was extremely challenging as she had to get accustomed to the new terrain and get along with international colleagues. Working in a country engulfed in conflict is a challenge in itself.

“We handled cases ranging from rape, murder to issues with tribes. I learnt a lot of things – from taking up challenges head on to handling sensitive situations. It was an enriching and empowering experience. Being part of a UN peace mission is something all of us cops aim for,” says Padma, who enjoys reading books in her free time and catching up on shows on Netflix.

Being a cop was one of her childhood dreams, so during her college days she made sure to be a part of the National Cadet Corps (NCC). That’s how Padma’s journey of being a Sub-Inspector in Banjara Hills police station, to later working as an additional inspector in Marredpally police station, began.

Mother of two sons and wife of a police officer, Padma enjoys spending time with her family the most. “Unlike the previous generation, I see more and more women venturing into a variety of challenging fields. All I can say is women need to support each other and grow together. We can achieve anything if we give our 100 per cent to it,” she concludes.

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