There were 19,856 female police officers around the country as of April 1, up 1,137 from a year earlier and accounting for 7.7 percent of the police force, the National Police Agency said Thursday.

Among them, 295 women held senior positions, almost double from five years ago, according to the NPA.

The agency plans to increase the percentage for both the number of officers and those in leadership positions to 10 percent by 2023.

Last fiscal year, 1,565 women were hired nationwide as police officers, up 69 from the previous year and accounting for 14.3 percent of the total.