‘Whatever you want to do, you should go for it’: Force trailblazer looks forward to International Women’s Day

5 March 2025

For everything she gave to the profession, Elizabeth says her time in the police gave her equally as much back – including, above all else, the strength to overcome adversity time and time again.

Even before she became a cop in the West Midlands as a 20-year-old in 1973, Elizabeth had to respond to a setback after being unable to join Warwickshire Police – where she had spent time as a temporary civilian officer – due to a quota of female officers already being met.

Instead, she started as a woman police constable (WPC) in Birmingham City Police and was posted to Bromford Lane.

“It was truly a whole different world for a woman in the police back then,” said Elizabeth, now 77.

“We were in a dedicated policewomen’s department, and the only incidents we would deal with were ones involving other women and children.

“Pay was different to the men, and the hours were too. We had to wear skirts instead of trousers, which felt less practical.

Pay gap

“But I joined the police because I wanted to make a difference – as did other women. And although we were able to do that in part, we wanted to do more.”

As the 1970s saw both the formation of West Midlands Police and the gap gradually close between men’s and women’s pay in policing, Elizabeth used this momentum to begin pursuing her big ambition.

Having got herself ‘hooked’ after watching it in action, she had set her sights on becoming a handler in the Force’s police dog unit.

“It wasn’t because it just looked fun to work with a dog – the hard work and discipline really appealed to me,” Elizabeth continued.

“Becoming a handler was never going to be straightforward, though.

Dog handler

“My applications were knocked back three times, and it took about a year before one actually got anywhere. Other women I knew had the same responses to the roles they were going for.

“I wasn’t for giving in, and that meant I did end up becoming the first woman trained as a handler in the Force.

Coming through the other end of a demanding training course, Elizabeth became an official dog handler in 1979, when she was assigned Czar, a German Shepherd general-purpose police dog.

The pair were tasked with patrol duties, building and missing person searches and public order support, firstly based at Stechford and later, Digbeth.

But Elizabeth says there was ‘a lot of scepticism’ around her to begin with, which only dissipated once Czar had helped make his first arrest.

Made even more impressive coming on their very first night shift together, Elizabeth and Czar entered a pitch-black scrapyard and managed to locate two burglars on the run – suddenly, a precarious situation had turned into a significant victory.

Car accident

“It was great to prove some people wrong, I will admit that," she said.

“Not long after, I remember the Force giving me expenses to buy a pair of trousers. I felt like a proper officer, contributing as I knew I could.”

From that point onwards, the duo’s relationship inside and outside of work went from strength to strength, as they enjoyed four years in each other’s company until Czar retired and went to live on a farm in Worcestershire.

Following this, Elizabeth – who was known in the Force by her maiden name, Dodd – returned to a patrol shift in Digbeth in 1983.

Her career was then unfortunately cut short three years later, when she was involved in a car accident while on duty, which left her paralysed.

In extremely difficult circumstances, Elizabeth was diagnosed not only as a tetraplegic, resulting in permanent wheelchair use, but with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) too.

Incredibly, this did not deter her from wanting to make a return to policing, but the decision was taken out of her hands when the Force directed her into retirement.

Accessibility

“That was a big disappointment – I think I just didn’t want to accept the career I loved was over. But I eventually moved past it, and I have done all sorts of things to keep myself busy over the years,” she said.

“I have done planning work for my local councils of Stratford and Warwickshire and other local organisations around accessibility and inclusion, which has meant a lot to me.

While the event is on Thursday 13 March, this year’s International Women’s Day will be celebrated on Saturday (8 March).

Looking to her appearance at the Police Museum, Elizabeth added: “I am really looking forward to speaking and I feel honoured to do so. It should be a great day.

“I don’t think I realised the significance of being the first female dog handler at the time. But looking back, I am proud to be a part of the Force’s history in that way, because I just really enjoyed it and everything I put in to get there felt so worth it

“Things may have changed so much for women in policing, and certainly for the better, but I still think it’s so important to remind them that they are capable of whatever they set their minds to.

“My message would always be that whatever you want to do, you should go for it – and don’t take no for an answer.”