In 1973 a shortage of police in Auckland prompted a desperate mayor, Sir Dove-Myer Robinson, to find more staff to combat the high crime rate. Government approval resulted in the training of Wing 120 at an old teachers’ college in Ardmore, South Auckland.

Ali Stevenson was one of 13 women recruited to this wing. Inspector Bill Shanks was commandant, and he affectionately dubbed the new female trainees as his ‘Dolly Belles’.

Ali enjoyed her time at Police College. Close to the college was a bar at the nearby military camp, which was like forbidden fruit to the recruits because they weren’t allowed to leave campus during the weeknights.

One night, Ali recalls, a group of drunk male recruits decided to pull the fire alarm as a prank, but they didn’t realise the alarm went straight through to the Papakura Fire Station. Ten minutes later three fire trucks turned up looking for a fire. When the commandant woke he apologised to the firemen for the false alarm and dragged all the recruits out in their pyjamas to reprimand them.  It became evident the next day that none of the women had been involved, so only the men were punished.

When Ali completed her training, she was sent to Auckland Central Police Station under the supervision of Sergeant Ross Meurant. Ali’s first police duty was on the late shift, walking up and down Karangahape Road, which opened her eyes to the seamier side of life. After a misunderstanding with the owner of a strip club, who Ali had thought was a friendly business owner, an amused Sergeant Meurant gave Ali a rundown of the seedier businesses in the area. Ali recalls his lesson as ‘a 101 on Dens of Iniquity’.

Ali featured in the news when she first wore the newly issued trousers while on duty at the races. She hadn’t worn the jacket as well so got in a bit of trouble when she returned to the station.

Ali later became a Radio Operator for the South Auckland District based at Auckland Central, then worked in the CIB reception for a few months before retiring in 1987 after 14 years of service.

Prior to joining the New Zealand Police in 1962 Valerie Redshaw was in the London Metropolitan Police. Posted to the Women’s Division at Auckland Central she served there until she married.

After marrying, Valeria left Police to have children and taught at various schools in Otago and the Bay of Plenty. She attempted to re-join the police in the mid-1970s but was told the police did not employ women with children.

In 1984 she became an Education Officer at the Royal New Zealand Police College, with the responsibility for training youth aid officers and recruits and contributing to senior and commissioned officer courses. For a subsequent seven years she designed curricula for all police training, and was seconded for two and a half years to the New Zealand Customs Service as their National Manager Training and Development.

Keen to advance the status of policewomen and promote training, she was the police representative on several public sector bodies including the EEO Advisory Group, the Public Sector Training Organisation and the Government Committee for Suffrage Centennial Year. She also served on the academic board of the Open Polytechnic of New Zealand.

In 1991 she was given the task of organising the celebration of 50 years of women in policing. This inspired her to document women’s history in the service. Her book, Tact and Tenacity, was published in 2007.

In 1993, Valerie, was awarded the Suffrage Centennial Medal for services to policewomen and in 2007 she was made a member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for services to education. Post policing, Valerie contributed to the development of the Border Service in East Timor receiving the East Timor and New Zealand Operational Service Medals. A Justice of the Peace for 40 years she ended her working career spending six years with the Royal Federation of New Zealand Justices’ Associations as their Education Officer.

She regrets not being able to return to operational policing in the 1970s after she had her children, or in the 1980s because of age restrictions, but is pleased to have been able to contribute to changes in policy that have improved conditions for other policewomen.

It was 10 July 1985 when the Rainbow Warrior sunk at its Marsden Wharf moorings in Auckland, after two explosive devices were set on her hull. The French government committed this act of terrorism in New Zealand. It is believed that at least 13 members of the French security and armed forces were involved in the incident in which a Rainbow Warrior crew member was killed.

Cushla Watson joined the Police in 1973 and by time of this event she was a seasoned and experienced detective. She was an integral part of the investigative team and worked the case from day one. Only two members of the French team, Major Alain Marfat and Captain Dominique Prieur (posing as Sophie and Alain Turenge) were arrested and held to account.

Detective Cushla Watson was the first policewoman to be sent out of New Zealand with an investigative brief. During her enquiries she visited Switzerland to check on the legitimacy of the Turenge passports which were claimed to have been issued in Lyon, France but proved to be fraudulent. She made enquiries in France, where her investigations were scrutinised and she was unable to conduct her own interviews. It was clear that higher authorities were controlling French Police actions.

In England, with the cooperation of the Metropolitan Police, she linked Gerald Andries a crew member on the yachtOuvéa to the purchase of the Zodiac boat and Yamaha motor used to plant the explosive devices. The Ouvéa was believed to have dropped the Turenge couple off on the New Zealand coast.

Cushla had postponed having her family while establishing her career but eventually took maternity leave and bore two sons. She and another detective put forward a proposal to job share to make it easier for women with children to work but flexible employment was not an option, and after battling bureaucracy and the then attitudes of the police administration both women resigned. The service lost two competent and very experienced detectives.

Inspector Paula Stevens joined the New Zealand Police in 1972.

Paula started her career in Dunedin. After completing her Police training at Trentham she worked there on frontline general duties until she was promoted to sergeant in 1978 and moved to Wellington.

After three years in Wellington she transferred to the West Coast, where she was Greymouth’s first female sergeant. During her time at the Greymouth station, she received the Commissioner’s Certificate of Merit for dedication and skill in controlling the rescue of a small fishing vessel which foundered crossing the Grey River Bar.

In 1986 Paula was promoted to senior sergeant while working in Palmerston North, and in 1990 in Wellington she was promoted to inspector. In 1993 she moved to Christchurch and worked as a shift commander, and later the operational services manager.

In Christchurch, Paula took the Armed Offenders Squad (AOS) course and passed with flying colours. She commanded the Christchurch AOS until she was appointed as the Southern Special Tactics Group (STG) Commander, based in Christchurch, where she worked for almost 8 years. Paula was the first woman appointed to the AOS and STG Command roles.

In 2000 Paula was awarded the Queen’s Service Medal in the New Year Royal Honours List, in recognition for her dedication to the service and her excellent operational and management skills. Later that year she was deployed to East Timor as the New Zealand Police contingent and the nature of her work led to her receiving a New Zealand Police Commissioner’s Silver Merit Award in 2002. In 2003, she was deployed to the Solomon Islands.

In 2005 Paula returned to Police National Headquarters where she worked in the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police (PICP) Secretariat until she resigned from police at the end of 2007. During her time with PICP she developed programmes for member services in conjunction with UNAIDS and she helped develop the PICP Women’s Advisory Network, involving 21 countries.

Jackie served in the New Zealand Police between 1972 and 1978 and returned temporarily in 1981.

During a very cold winter in 1976, when a skirt was still mandatory for policewomen Jackie wore her husband’s trousers when she worked the late shift. There was at that time debate as to whether or not women could wear trousers but her practical-minded sectional sergeant allowed her to wear despite reservations from another senior officer.  

Two years after leaving the Police Jackie returned to duty temporarily as a constable, during the 1981 Springbok Tour. In 1986 she became a non-sworn member of the Hamilton and Morrinsville Police Stations, where she worked until a restructuring in 2012.

Jackie was the first non-sworn member of the New Zealand Police to receive a silver merit award. She and her husband, Allan Cantley, received the award for their actions during the 1993 Morrinsville Station Siege, when Larry Hammond entered the station taking several hostages while armed with a crossbow, knives and 14 homemade explosives.

Prior to immigrating to New Zealand in 1964 Angela was a policewoman in Birmingham, England. She was initially posted to Wellington where she found the work very limited. She remembers how amazed people were when she and another policewoman arrested a burglar.

Angela was the first policewoman in Porirua, and later, in Tauranga. In 1968 on the day of the Wahine disaster she was assigned duty on the Eastbourne side of Wellington Harbour. Besides assisting survivors, she helped in the task of retrieving bodies of those who had drowned. She also spent some days sorting and recording property that had been recovered and reuniting it with their owners.

In 1969 she transferred to Auckland to fill a vacancy in the Youth Aid Section, where she found her niche working with young people. After a period working in Tauranga, Angela returned to Auckland to continue in Youth Aid. She was promoted to senior sergeant in charge of the Youth Aid Section.

1979 ended on a sombre note with the loss of the Air New Zealand DC10 on Mount Erebus. While no policewomen took part in the recovery process several were involved in the identification phase of ‘Operation Overdue’. Angela was appointed Officer-in-Charge of Inquests. Her responsibility was to ensure that bodies matched up with particulars of passengers who had been on the flight. Because several passengers were from overseas she often worked with interpreters when preparing files for the coroner. She attended court for all the cases.

When community policing became the principal focus of the service it provided an area of specialisation where policewomen could use their communication skills to benefit others. Angela was promoted to Inspector and appointed Community Relations Coordinator for the Manukau District. Her job was to liaise with other departments, organisations and ethnic groups, fostering good relations between them and police. She was also responsible for overseeing community constables, Youth Aid section, crime prevention and programmes in schools as well as facilitating Neighbourhood Watch in the area.

Always keen to promote the advance of women in the service she chaired the Auckland Committee for the celebration of 50 years of policewomen in New Zealand. In 1981 she was awarded the QSM for services to young people and the handicapped.

Constable Pam Sowter (née Anderson) joined the New Zealand Police in 1956, one of eight women in her intake of 100 trainees at Trentham Military Camp. Trainees lived in army barracks split into three sections, each with its own tutor. While Pam was the first policewoman to graduate at the top of her course, sadly, her certificate reads: ‘Passed out first of HIS course’.

After graduation she was assigned to Auckland, where she patrolled set beats in the CBD, Parnell, Newmarket and Ponsonby, always with another policewoman.

One night on patrol Pam and her colleague Val Keefe decided to walk under Grafton Bridge rather than over it as instructed. Once they realised they were lost they scrambled up a clay bank into a factory yard to get out. On their return to the station they had to think of a story to explain their bedraggled state.

Pam remembers the first public speech she made as a policewoman, when she was guest speaker at the Blockhouse Bay Plunket Mothers Club. Being inexperienced and nervous, she had written out her speech. As she got up to speak, she realised she’d left her entire speech at home. Pam decided to take the bull by the horns, telling the women she’d forgotten her notes and suggesting they ask her questions instead. It turned out to be a success and she never suffered from nerves again when speaking to a crowd.

Pam eventually married fellow police officer Norm Sowter. After their marriage Pam stayed with police for a short time but had to retire when she became pregnant. Her three sons were sworn members of the police and two of them are still serving.

One day in 1955 Betty Bennett had two interviews for jobs. The first, conducted by a sergeant at Auckland Police Station included taking the Oath of Office. When she said she would have to go to the other appointment she was told that she needed to give three months’ notice. This was an unusual beginning to a career which included her becoming the first policewoman to be promoted to sergeant and then, commissioned officer.

She began her police training with the first group of women to train with men at the, then new, Trentham Police Training School. She was also one of three Māori women in the class. Following her training she was posted to Auckland, where she rapidly demonstrated her skills as a competent member of the Women’s Division and was promoted to the rank of Detective in 1959.

In 1960 the Government Service Equal Pay Act was passed and caused much debate about the relative value of women’s work in the police where women received 80% of a male constable’s pay. Qualifying for promotion, Betty unintentionally became the catalyst for an urgent review of policewomen’s pay. Cabinet did not grant policewomen equal pay until 1965.

Promoted to sergeant 1961, she returned to uniform and was put in charge of Auckland Women’s Division. Her exceptional communication skills, practical and pragmatic approach to police tasks and sense of humour meant she quickly became a much admired “boss”.

In 1962 she was awarded the British Empire Medal for her achievements and outstanding qualities of leadership. In 1966 she became the first policewoman to become a commissioned officer and was transferred as an inspector to Police National Headquarters. Her first task was visiting centres where policewomen were employed to observe their duties and check on their general welfare.

Commissioner Urquhart proposed the reinstatement of the Women’s Division with Inspector Bennett at its head, and promotion only available for women within it. Betty convinced other senior officers that policewomen had proved their worth and there was ample evidence that they were capable of any policing situation that might arise. Because of this, the proposal did not proceed.

Betty retired from Police in 1970.

Rosalie Sterritt joined the New Zealand Police in 1948 as part of the fourth intake of women to be trained as police officers.

Originally from Kaikoura, Rosalie and five others were sent, after graduation, as temporary constables to Auckland where they worked for a year before being appointed permanently.

Two years after joining the Police, Rosalie suffered a serious back injury during a search for a missing mental patient at One Tree Hill in Auckland. While attempting to climb higher she had grabbed a branch which broke and caused her to fall. The accident and the damage caused by the fall were the start of an uphill battle for Rosalie to keep her job as a policewoman.

Rosalie had spinal surgery to repair her back in 1957 and it took her a year to recover. When she returned to work she was assigned office work because she couldn’t perform full duties. In 1959, there was a push to deem her medically unfit to work. Determined not to have her job taken from her, Rosalie pursued Supreme Court action and won her case, keeping her job. Despite the then commissioner successfully appealing the decision, no further action was taken against Rosalie and she stayed with Police

Rosalie became an inquiry officer, then an inquest officer before retiring in 1985. She has actively pursued her interests - scouting, music and woodworking and has her own workshop for repairing and making items from wood and metal. Rosalie owns a campervan and regularly takes it away on trips around the country. She recently moved into a new retirement home, which she chose based on the fact she was able to take her beloved campervan with her.

Nora Crawford completed her secondary education by correspondence while on the family farm near Hawera. Although she completed a course at Massey University and became a herd tester in 1943 she became a member of the third intake of policewomen.

She was posted to Auckland in March 1944 where her duties included dealing with ‘idle and disorderly’ women, investigating illegal bookmakers and sly groggers, patrolling parks and cinemas, and helping the Criminal Investigation Branch (CIB) to interview female offenders, victims and witnesses. She proved to be particularly adept at the latter task.

In 1955 her interest in fraud and her skills at detection were recognised by the CIB and she was given the opportunity to work on cases alongside her male colleagues. This was a significant accomplishment at a time when many policemen resented the presence or promotion of women in the service.

After attending a qualifying course at the New Zealand Police Training School, Nora Crawford became the first policewoman to reach the rank of detective in 1958. Good natured, forthright, and friendly she took pride in doing same job as the men. She was also given additional duties, including being designated as an escort and bodyguard for visiting dignitaries including Queen Elizabeth in 1953, and Queen Sirikit of Thailand in 1962. In 1969 she was promoted to the CIB fraud squad.

Nora retired after 23 years of investigative service with the CIB and her reputation as a skilled fraud investigator led to a second career with bank card security. She was influential and active in several police-related groups during and after her police service. Nora was a foundation member of the New Zealand branch of the International Police Association and was involved in setting up the Auckland retired police officers’ club. 1985 she became patron of Recruit Wing 101 at the Royal New Zealand Police College, the first time a policewoman had been honoured.