We asked a female police officer about her experience of working in a police force.She talks about her motivations for joining the police, some of the challenges facing officers today, and shares some advice for aspiring officers.

Featuring the police officer (Amna Baig)

Amna Baig is a police woman and a stand up comedian!

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She cleared her CSS exam in 2015 and joined police service of Pakistan as an assistant superintendent of police. She is originally from to Hunza and is the first girl from Hunza to join Police Service of Pakistan.

How did you decide to join the police?

I remember when I was a kid, all of us cousins would get together and play make believe. When asked, what we wanted to be when we grew up, everyone would refer to their fathers and say I want to be a doctor like my father, I want to join the Army because my dad is a Capt. I noticed that none of us would mention the mothers as role models. No one would say I want to be that because my mom is that. I wanted it a bit different for my children, I wanted them to grow up to say I want to be like mom, because she has the most bad-ass career one could think of.

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Why civil service? My father was a civil servant, I saw him make big contributions to public sector. His career underscored the importance of honesty and hard work and the impact it has on the society in general.

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What has been your career path like so far?

Pretty interesting. Its very challenging I must say, but there is nothing else in the world that I would rather do. Police for life!

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What are the challenges of the work you do? What are the learnings? What keeps you motivated?

Sheryl Sandberg says that the most important career choice a woman makes is deciding on who she marries. I believe nothing could be more true! The challenges start from home if you don't have a supportive spouse. I have been extremely lucky in that aspect. If I didn't have my husband's support, I wouldn't have been able to keep up with my work because its, both physically and mentally, extremely draining.

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Usually the work hours average on 12-16 hours a day with no breaks, we have working weekends and usually take a few days off after every 2-3 months. Surprisingly, the department itself is very welcoming towards lady officers and there has not been a single day in my 3 years with police that I have faced any sort of discrimination based on my gender. I have learned that kindness is a strength not a weakness, I wish more people understood that. The idea that my decisions literally impact lives, definitely keeps me motivated to do better everyday.

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You are also a stand up comedian. How does that figure with your other profession?

I have always felt that police is one of the most under appreciated organizations of the country. So I try to project the contributions and the positive role the department is playing at whatever forum I can, my social media is a glaring proof of how deeply I feel about my department, so is my comedy. Time, phew!

Is joining the police a viable and good career choice for other women?

I doubt any other career empowers a woman like Police. Hands down best decision of my life. Like Amna's, share your wonderful stories with us!