The AFP is running a female-only recruitment drive.

The Federal Police will accept only female applications for entry-level positions in the coming months.

It is part of efforts to achieve a 50-50 gender target at the force, which has traditionally been heavily male-dominated.

AFP Acting Commissioner Leanne Close said the strategy would include all roles, including community policing, cyber investigations and organised crime.

“What we are not doing is recruiting enough women to reach the targets that we want by 2021 … so we are actively marketing out there to really target those women who would be keen for a great, challenging and really diverse career,” she told reporters.

“It's definitely not women-only roles — we are just trying to market so that we can increase the pool of female applicants that we can draw from in the community.”

Women make up about 22 per cent of sworn federal officers, one third of all staff and one quarter of senior leaders.

The AFP introduced gender targets for the force last year, with a goal to have 50 per cent of its officers female in the next decade.

The AFP hopes to employ 600 more women over the next four years, boosting female representation to 35 per cent.

Acting Commissioner Close said the decision is “not trying to exclude men at all”.

“We have a great pool of male applicants as well and we want to make sure that our courses are about 50-50 [women and men],” she said.

“If we have a few more females on each course we aren't worried.”

She said the female-only marketing strategy would last until at least Christmas.

“Then we will sit back and assess and see how successful it has been and re-assess the actual marketing strategy,” she said.