The United Nations Security Council has adopted the first-ever resolution on policing in peace operations, looking to build up missions with training and clear guidance to officers in the field.

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop chaired the Security Council meeting.

She said the measure would help ensure police officers from diverse backgrounds and nationalities all work according to the same standards.

As one of the few countries with a dedicated police unit for international deployment Julie Bishop told the council Australia has been contributing to policing missions for 50 years in countries emerging from conflict, but said the demand for police had grown more than tenfold in the past two decades.

Twenty years ago, there were around 1,600 international police deployed on UN missions around the world; now, there are more than 12,000 helping to keep the peace in countries emerging from conflict.

Ms Bishop used East Timor as an example of how international police can help stabilise trouble spots, then go on to build up and train local forces to carry on once they leave.

UN police commissioner Fred Yiga from the UN mission in South Sudan told the council international policing was key to restoring peace and ensuring "soldiers go back to their barracks and police officers get back on the streets".

The resolution adopted unanimously also provides for building up skills to develop SWAT teams, special investigative units and train more women police to address sexual violence, said UN police adviser Stefan Feller.

Mr Feller described the Australian-drafted resolution as "groundbreaking" for its recognition of the importance of UN policing.

Hester Paneras, police commissioner for the UN-African Union mission in Sudan's Darfur, said the measure would "give us more leverage to address some of our needs and make a difference in the field".

The resolution seeks to put more women in UN policing to help tackle issues of sexual violence and other crimes affecting women in countries in turmoil.

ABC/Wires