Kiran Bedi, India's first woman police officer, has been appointed United Nations Civilian Police Adviser, the first woman to hold the post. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced her appointment in New York on Friday.

Bedi will take over from Acting Civilian Police Adviser Antero Lopes of Portugal in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations.

" I am honoured and grateful for the appointment," she told rediff.com.

"My appointment is a great opportunity for any serving police officer. This is another opporunity to learn in life," she
said.

Bedi joined the Indian Police Service in 1972, and has served as inspector general of prisons in Delhi, and inspector general of police in Chandigarh.

She has received numerous awards, including the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Government Service, the Joseph Beuys Foundation Award for Holistic and Innovative Management, and the Morrison Tom Gitchoff Award for actions that have significantly improved the quality of justice in India.

In 1979, she was awarded the Police Medal for Gallantry for conspicuous courage. She holds a degree in law, a master's degree in political science, and a Ph D in the field of drug abuse and domestic violence.

Before her current appointment, she served as special commissioner (Intelligence) with the Delhi Police.