With The Heat is getting a release in Ireland this week, this got us thinking about our favourite female cop duos. Let's face it, over the years there have been plenty of male cop duos or one guy with his female partner, but female cop duos have been few and far between. The latest film from Paul Feig sets about changing that and proves that the women are just as good as the men. And funnier... Here are the top three female cop duos. For more info on The Heat, you can log on to the Facebook page here.

1. Cagney and Lacey

Cagney and Lacey were really ahead of their time, a show which first started as a television movie and then went on to become a hugely successful series. Dealing with issues that were not being discussed in the media enough in relation to women, Cagney and Lacey followed the lives of two cops, one single career woman, the other a working mother, and their daily struggles balancing work and their personal lives. The two main actresses, Tyne Daly and Sharon Gless, both won Emmys for their roles six consecutive years in a row, a record which has been unmatched.

2. Scott and Bailey

Years later, another cop duo hit the big screen, and this time they hailed from the UK. Scott and Bailey revolves around two detectives who work for the Major Incident Team of the fictional Manchester Metropolitan Police. Like Cagney and Lacey Rachel Bailey and Janet Scott are wildly different people, Janet is older with two daughters while Rachel is single after ending a relationship with a married womanizer. The show debuted in 2011 and is currently in its third series.

3. Ashburn and Mullins

We have had our small screen heroines, but Ashburn and Mullins have taken over the big screen this week. Sandra plays the straight up Ashburn who is determined to get the job done while McCarthy plays Mullins, a cop you just do not mess with. However, the comic pairing of Bullock and McCarthy is just genius and this along with an amazing script, makes Ashburn and Mullins the finest cop comedy duo.

The Heat is in cinemas July 31st. Find more info on the facebook page here.