The Queensland Police Service is celebrating sixty years since its first sworn female officers began their journey at Brisbane’s historic Petrie Terrace Depot, marking decades of progress for women in policing.
Milestone Marked
This significant anniversary traces back to 1965 March 31, when eight women were officially inducted as sworn officers at the Petrie Terrace Depot. This event was a major step forward for the Queensland Police Service (QPS), then known as the Queensland Police Force. The Service is now honouring this 60-year history of female officers holding police powers.
Early Steps and Hurdles
Photo Credit: Queensland Police
The path to having sworn female officers began much earlier. Following a campaign by Irene Longman, the first woman elected to Queensland’s Parliament, Zara Dare and Eileen O’Donnell joined the force in March 1931. However, these pioneers were not sworn officers, meaning they had no power to arrest. They wore plain clothes instead of uniforms, were paid only half as much as male officers, and could not join the superannuation fund.
Despite these unequal conditions, their value was recognised, and the Women in Police Section was formed by 1941, growing to nine members by 1945. In 1955, unsworn policewomen were permitted to join the Police Union, which later, in 1958, asked for a review to better align the roles and powers of female officers with their male colleagues.
A Pioneer’s Experience
Judith deBoer (nee Barrett) was one of the eight women sworn in during the 1965 ceremony. Then 22, she applied after reading a newspaper article about the Commissioner seeking women to work with young people. Her father encouraged her, citing her experience running a church youth group. Ms deBoer recalled her amazement at being accepted, stating she hadn’t realised there were any policewomen in Queensland before then.
Now 83, Ms deBoer spoke positively about her time in the QPS, particularly the support and mentoring she received from male officers. She mentioned learning the value of laughter for coping with difficult situations. However, her time in the Service was short as she left in December 1966 to get married.
At that time, a rule known as the “marriage bar,” which lasted until 1971, forced female public servants to resign when they wed and prevented married women from joining. Ms deBoer admired today’s female officers and the opportunities available to them. She believes her QPS experience helped prepare her for later work, including roles with the United Nations in Afghanistan, East Timor, and Kosovo, and she received a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) in 2023.
Path to Equality and Leadership
Progress continued after the first sworn officers joined. The first uniformed female officers appeared just months later, in June 1965. Equal pay for male and female officers was achieved in September 1970; previously, women like Ms deBoer earned 75 per cent of the male rate. The number of sworn women grew steadily, reaching 308 by 1976.
Women increasingly moved into leadership roles. The first five female Inspectors were appointed in 1990, the same year the organisation officially became the Queensland Police Service. The first female Superintendent and Chief Superintendent followed in 1992.
Kathy Rynders became the first female Assistant Commissioner in 2000 and the first female Deputy Commissioner in 2008. In July 2019, Katarina Carroll became the first woman appointed as QPS Commissioner. Today, women hold over 35 per cent of the executive leadership positions within the Service.
Reflections on Modern Policing
Assistant Commissioner Katherine Innes, who heads the Domestic and Family Violence and Vulnerable Persons Command, has witnessed many changes over her career of more than 30 years. She stated that barriers for women are certainly fewer now, with women serving at every rank and performing every job within the QPS. In previous roles, she led the development of Queensland Police’s first strategies addressing sexual violence and cybercrime.
Assistant Commissioner Innes acknowledged society’s progress over 60 years but recognised that work still needs to be done regarding respect within the community. She expressed pride in representing women in the QPS and leading efforts for improvement.
According to Assistant Commissioner Innes, good policing is not about gender but about the different skills diverse individuals bring, including care and empathy, to achieve the best results for the community. She emphasised that the strength of today’s QPS comes from teamwork involving people from all backgrounds – different genders, cultures, and life experiences – working together.
Published Date 11-April-2025
