Jane Sinclair, retired police officer and Rushcliffe resident, paid a special visit to Nottinghamshire Police’s headquarters in Arnold to celebrate her 100th birthday.
Jane was joined by her daughter, Fiona, and Gill Evans from the Metropolitan Women Police Association for a tour of the offices.
During the visit on Friday (28), the group took a glimpse into the control room, met with the lead of the armed response vehicle crew, and had a chat with Deputy Chief Constable Steve Cooper.
Jane began her career with Metropolitan Police back in 1947, where she spent three years in the Ealing community beat team covering Hammersmith and Richmond in west London.
Her career then took her to Australia, working for 10 years in the Victoria Police force.
The life of a female police officer in a new country was a lot different for Jane in the 1950’s as she was issued with a firearm and received equal pay to men – which wasn’t official in the United Kingdom until 1970.
Jane said: “I knew things would have changed, but seeing all the new systems and technology showed just how much policing has moved on since I’ve been in the job!
“For example, when I was working, we’d contact the local office through blue telephone boxes. Now, they have their own radios and phones to use.
“We loved every minute of the visit and meeting the Deputy Chief was a real highlight.”
Inspector Tim Cuthbert, neighbourhood policing inspector for Rushcliffe, who toured the group around the offices, said:
“It was an absolute privilege to welcome Jane as our special guest. Hearing her stories demonstrated just how much policing has changed during her lifetime.”
