From the Maitland Mercury report:
In 1915, the first two women joined the NSW Police Force.
Now, 100 years on, there are 4542 female sworn officers and 2581 female unsworn officers across the state.
March 1 marks the centenary of women in policing and the theme for the year is Celebrating Compassion, Courage and Strength.
In 1915, the NSW Police Department advertised just two positions for female police.
Almost 500 women applied for the positions and Lillian Armfield and Maude Rhodes were chosen.
They soon became Probationary Special Constables but were not issued with a uniform and had to wear civilian clothes.
They were also required to sign a safety release that removed the department's responsibility for them.
Not only were Armfield and Rhodes the first female officers in the state, they were the first women employed for police duties in the Commonwealth.
Full article available at Maitland Mercury, Feb. 28, 2015.
