Then and Now: General Duties
The original photo, dated prior to 1979, shows a police officer talking to a motorist and taking notes in an official police-issued notebook.
The current photo shows while uniforms and equipment have changed, police work and evidence gathering is still committed to a written notebook. A police officer’s contemporaneous notes are the greatest asset in an investigation and is later relied upon in court as evidence.
The original photo shows the older style computers used by police officers for record keeping and evidence gathering.
While the job of recorded keeping and evidence gathering hasn’t changed, the current photo shows the advancement of computers overtime which have significantly speed up the time taken to enter data.
In the original photo, policemen were required to have their uniform ironed to perfection, boots polished so they gleamed, pocket badge showing always and wear a peaked cap. The year 1972 saw the introduction of the first ACT Police women’s uniform.
The current photo shows both police officers wearing the same uniform, made from the same durable material. The peaked cap has now been replaced with a more practical baseball cap.
The original photo, dated 1963-1967, shows Senior Constable Alice Liele Clark, the first ACT Police women, Constable Joan Coleman (standing left), Constable Robyn Davidson (standing right) and Sergeant Gladys Johnson (seated right).
The current photo shows Chief Police Officer Justine Saunders (seated right), Detective Superintendent Joanne Cameron (seated left), Detective Superintendent Susan Ball (standing left) and Superintendent Cath Grassick (standing right).
The original photo shows Constable Justine Adamek dressed in the ‘new’ practical attire, comprising of blue shirt and culottes. Constable Adamek could carry her service firearm on her belt and no longer had to carry it in her police-issued handbag.
The current photo shows a police officer wearing the modern practical uniform of pants and light blue shirt, whilst carrying all her accoutrements on her belt.