Shirley Becke facts for kids

Shirley Cameron Becke was a very important British police officer. She was the fourth and last leader of the London Metropolitan Police's A4 Branch, which was the special group for women police officers, from 1966 to 1973. In 1969, she became the first woman police officer in the United Kingdom to reach a very high rank, called commander.

Early Life

Shirley Becke was born in Chiswick, London, on April 29, 1917. Her father was a gas engineer. She went to Ealing Grammar School for Girls. Shirley decided to follow in her father's footsteps and trained to be a gas engineer at Westminster Polytechnic starting in 1935. In 1939, she made history by becoming the first woman to pass a difficult exam for gas engineers. She worked as a gas engineer for two years before joining the police.

Police Career

Shirley Becke joined the Metropolitan Police as a constable in 1941. She first planned to work only during the Second World War, but she enjoyed it so much that she stayed after the war ended.

Rising Through the Ranks

In 1945, she joined the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), which is where detectives work. She became a detective constable. The next year, she moved to West End Central police station and worked with Barbara Kelley, who later became Britain's first female detective chief superintendent. Shirley was very clever in her detective work. In one case, she pretended to be someone's fiancée to help catch criminals.

Shirley was promoted many times because of her hard work. She became a detective sergeant in 1952, a detective inspector in 1957, and a detective chief inspector in 1959. At this point, she was the most senior woman detective at Scotland Yard, which is the headquarters of the Metropolitan Police.

A Special Marriage

In 1954, Shirley was called to an oil company in Mayfair to investigate a theft. There, she met the company's accountant, Justin Becke. They later fell in love and got married! Justin later became a Church of England vicar. Shirley Becke was the first head of London's policewomen to be married, which was a big step at the time.

Leading Women Police

In 1960, Shirley was promoted to superintendent and went back to wearing a police uniform. She took charge of the women police officers in the South-West Area of London. About 18 months later, she returned to Scotland Yard as the second-in-command of the A4 Branch.

On May 26, 1966, exactly 25 years after she joined the police, she took command of the A4 Branch with the rank of chief superintendent. She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in 1972 for her excellent service.

In 1973, the A4 Branch was closed down, and women police officers became fully part of the main police force, working alongside men. Shirley Becke, who was then a commander, was appointed to the Force Inspectorate, a role where she helped check how the police force was doing.

Later Life and Legacy

Shirley Becke retired from the police on April 29, 1974. After retiring, she took on a new role as a regional administrator for London for the Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS). This group helps people in the community. She retired from this job in 1979, but she also served as a vice-chairman for the WRVS from 1976 to 1983. She was honored with the Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1974 for her great work.

Shirley Becke passed away in Chichester, West Sussex, on October 25, 2011, at the age of 94. Her funeral was held at Chichester Cathedral. She is remembered as a pioneering woman in policing who broke barriers and opened doors for other women in the force.