Police Minister Michelle Roberts today opened a new training facility at Joondalup Police Academy, naming it in honour of the first two women police officers in Western Australia.
The newly constructed Dugdale-Chipper Pavilion is a state-of-the-art facility which will enable all-weather protection for training.
In 1917, Constables Helen Dugdale and Laura Chipper were the very first female police officers appointed to the Western Australia Police Force.
They were responsible for the moral welfare of women and children.
Their duties included the patrol of parks, neighbourhoods, entertainment areas, and anywhere else women and children might be found.
It was not until 1976 that serving women police officers went into uniform and were allocated to operational units.
There are now more than 1,400 female police officers and more than 1,200 female staff employed across every area of the Force.