Shirley Cameron Becke (née Jennings; 29 April 1917 – 25 October 2011) was a British police officer. She was the fourth and last commander of the London Metropolitan Police's A4 Branch (Women Police), from 1966 to 1973, and the first woman officer in the United Kingdom to reach chief officer rank when she was promoted to

commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain ...

in 1969.

Early life

Shirley Cameron Jennings was born in

Chiswick Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and ...

, London, the daughter of a gas engineer. She was educated at

Ealing Grammar School for Girls Ealing () is a district in West London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. Ealing is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Plan. Ealing was hist ...

and followed in her father's footsteps, training as a gas engineer at Westminster Polytechnic from 1935, and in 1939 became the first woman to pass the Higher Grade Examination of the

Institution of Gas Engineers Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

. She then worked as a gas engineer for two years.

Police career

Becke joined the Metropolitan Police as a

constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

in 1941, intending her service to be purely for the duration of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, but stayed in the force after the war. In 1945 she joined the

Criminal Investigation Department The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is the branch of a police force to which most plainclothes detectives belong in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth nations. A force's CID is distinct from its Special Branch (though officers of ...

(CID) as a

detective constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in criminal law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. A constable is commonly the rank of an officer within the police. Other peop ...

and the following year transferred to

West End Central West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

police station, working with Barbara Kelley, later to become Britain's first

detective chief superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the British model. Rank insignia of chief superintendent File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police File:RCMP Chief Superintendent.pn ...

. In November 1945, Reuben 'Russian Robert' Martirosoff was murdered. Becke posed as the fiancée of one of the two suspects to gain information about their whereabouts that would see them captured and ultimately hanged for their crimes. She was promoted to

detective sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

in 1952,

detective inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

in 1957,Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 8 December 2011
/ref> and

detective chief inspector Chief inspector (Ch Insp) is a rank used in police forces which follow the British model. In countries outside Britain, it is sometimes referred to as chief inspector of police (CIP). Usage by country Australia The rank of chief inspector is use ...

in 1959, when she was posted to Scotland Yard as the Metropolitan Police's most senior woman detective.Obituary, ''The Telegraph'', 11 December 2011
/ref> In 1954, she was called to the headquarters of an oil company in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world ...

by the company's accountant to investigate a theft. She later married the accountant, Justin Becke, who was later ordained and became

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the established Christian church in England and the mother church of the international Anglican Communion. It traces its history to the Christian church recorded as existing in the Roman province of Britai ...

vicar A vicar (; Latin: '' vicarius'') is a representative, deputy or substitute; anyone acting "in the person of" or agent for a superior (compare "vicarious" in the sense of "at second hand"). Linguistically, ''vicar'' is cognate with the English pr ...

South Merstham Merstham is a town in the borough of Reigate and Banstead in Surrey, England. It lies 25 miles south of Charing Cross and 2 miles south of the Greater London border. Part of the North Downs Way runs along the northern boundary of the town. Mer ...

, Surrey. She thus became the first head of London's policewomen to be married. In 1960, Becke was promoted to superintendent and returned to uniform, taking command of the women police in the South-West Area. Eighteen months later she returned to Scotland Yard as second-in-command of A4 Branch. She took command of A4 Branch with the rank of

chief superintendent Chief superintendent is a senior rank in police forces, especially in those organised on the British model. Rank insignia of chief superintendent File:Sa-police-chief-superintendent.png, South Australia Police File:RCMP Chief Superintendent.png ...

on 26 May 1966, 25 years to the day after she joined the force. She was awarded the

Queen's Police Medal The King's Police Medal (KPM) is awarded to police in the United Kingdom for gallantry or distinguished service. It was also formerly awarded within the wider British Empire, including Commonwealth countries, most of which now have their own hono ...

(QPM) in 1972. In 1973, A4 Branch was disbanded and women police officers integrated with the general establishment. Becke, then a commander, was appointed to the Force Inspectorate. That same year Sheila Ward became the Metropolitan Police's first female station inspector.

Later life and death

Becke retired from the police on 29 April 1974 and took up a position as regional administrator for London of the

Women's Royal Voluntary Service The Royal Voluntary Service (known as the Women's Voluntary Services (WVS) from 1938 to 1966; Women's Royal Voluntary Service (WRVS) from 1966 to 2004 and WRVS from 2004 to 2013) is a voluntary organisation concerned with helping people in need ...

. She retired from this post in 1979, but also served as vice-chairman of the WRVS from 1976 to 1983. She was appointed

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(OBE) in 1974. Becke died in

Chichester Chichester () is a cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publishing Date:2009. It is the only ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a county in South East England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the shire districts of Adur, Arun, Chichester, Horsham, and Mid Sussex, and the boroughs of Crawley and Worthing. Covering an a ...

, on 25 October 2011. Her funeral was held in the Lady Chapel of

Chichester Cathedral Chichester Cathedral, formally known as the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in West Sussex, England. It was founded as a cathedral in 1075, when the seat of th ...

on 14 November 2011.

Footnotes

External links

Obituary, ''The Guardian'', 8 December 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Becke, Shirley 1917 births 2011 deaths People from Chiswick English engineers Metropolitan Police chief officers Women Metropolitan Police officers Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Ealing County Grammar School for Girls English recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Metropolitan Police recipients of the Queen's Police Medal Women nonprofit executives British women engineers 20th-century British engineers