A Beat from the Heart

Memoirs of a police station clerk who became the highest-ranking policewoman across the provinces of England and Wales. From the Foreword byRt Hon THERESA MAY MP: In this book Phyllis Sigsworth brings home the barriers faced by women in the police force, but also the difference that women were able to make to police forces and to the job of policing. She charts her course from humble police station clerk to the then top job for a woman police officer Assistant to the Chief Inspector of Constabulary. It is a fascinating record of social change, but also the heartwarming story of someone who never allowed the prejudices of the day to stop her from doing what she believed in and serving the public. What is particularly interesting is the way in which she shows how women were able to bring a different approach to policing and recognise what has now become more widely accepted, namely that policing demands toughness and rigour but also thoughtfulness and consideration. This is about more than policing, it is about the wider impact that women police officers had and have on society. It is also the story of someone who has dedicated their life to improving her local community, whether through her role in the police or her many years of community volunteering after her retirement.