Winifred Theodora BarkerQPMCPM (2 October 1910 – 8 May 1995) was an English police officer. She was the third commander of A4 Branch (Women Police) in the London Metropolitan Police, from 1960 to 1966, and the second woman in the United Kingdom to hold the rank of chief superintendent.[1][2]
She was called back to London in 1959 to replace Sophie Alloway as the deputy commander of Scotland Yard's Women's Branch.[6] In December 1960, after taking over command of the branch from Elizabeth Bather, she was promoted to the rank of chief superintendent.[1] She was the first woman appointed to the role by rising through the police ranks.[4] During her time in command, she gave presentations on the work of women police officers, which often revolved around child neglect, violence toward women, and women prisoners.[4][8] Besides regularly visiting the stations to supervise women officers, Barker was responsible for increasing the number of women officers from 443 in 1961 to 465 by 1963.[4][8] She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in the 1965 New Year Honours.[9]
Barker retired on 25 May 1966, being succeeded by Shirley Becke,[10] and moved to Somerset.[5][11] She died in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, on 8 May 1995.[3]
^"Shirley Becke: First woman police commander whose doggedness once helped to hang a pair of gangsters". Daily Telegraph. 12 December 2011. p. 31. ProQuest910184766
Lock, Joan (1979). British Policewoman - Her Story. United Kingdom. pp. 197–200. OCLC4769437104.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
