The first class of 45 PLO policewomen has completed a new EU-sponsored training program to bolster and better equip PLO police forces.

The Arab women will patrol traffic, search houses, and carry out security checks on women in prisons and universities.

Female police are a small fraction of the overall PLO police force.  Despite the lack of acceptance in PLO society for female police, women are expressing interest, as unemployment in PLO territories runs at about 30 percent, and a high school diploma is not required.