Pioneering officer recalls her career

8 March 2022

A pioneering former West Midlands Police officer who rose to the rank of inspector but had to sacrifice any ideas of marriage or motherhood to do so has been looking back on her career on International Women’s Day.

Jane, who retired in 1989 after nearly 30 years’ service, joined Kent Police in 1961 as a young, single woman.  

Back then, female officers were issued with just a whistle and a half-truncheon as everything had to fit neatly into the pockets of their tunics. Their uniform featured skirts and they were not given the option of wearing trousers.

Jane and her female colleagues were put on a rota where they were called out to deal with women and children issues only.

She used to attend the jobs on her own Vespa scooter and claim back the petrol money.  

Two years later, after completing her probation period, she was promoted and was told that she came fifth in the country.

She was then given the opportunity to join the traffic department which until then had been male-only as female officers had not been allowed to drive.

Jane said she used to patrol in a Sunbeam Rapier police car which she was given to look after and told she had to maintain and get it serviced herself.

Early on in her career she was warned that if she got married or became pregnant she would have to leave the police service to look after her family and she truly believes this had an impact on her life as she chose never to marry or have children.  

Instead, she devoted herself to her job and made sure she was trained in everything she was allowed to and became one of the country’s very few female firearms officers.

Jane did not feel further promotion was a possibility if she stayed with Kent Police so took the decision to transfer to Dudley (which came under Staffordshire Police at the time and then changed to West Midlands) and she rose to the rank of inspector.

Throughout her career she refused to let the misogynistic views and actions of male colleagues hamper her determination to succeed but had to fight hard - she said it sometimes felt twice as hard - for every promotion and for her place in every police station that she went to.

There was still considerable disapproval of women serving as police officers and Jane was often told “women should either be in either the kitchen or the bedroom”.

She said she genuinely believes female officers were not treated as favourably or as fairly as their male counterparts and that was always quite tough for women who had no opportunities to speak out or make a stand.

Jane, who is now in her 80s, looks back on her career and achievement as a pioneering female police officer with tremendous pride.

She said she thinks it is fantastic that female and male officers are now on a much more level playing field and noted women in policing today had greater opportunities to take on more varied roles, and could wear practical uniforms!