Detective Superintendent

“As a woman joining the police in the 90s, I was part of a very different culture to the one we see today.

“I first joined Bedfordshire Police in 1992 as a Woman Police Constable (WPC) – that’s what we were called at that time - where I was issued a handbag and given a tiny truncheon to start the job.

“I was actually part of the first group of female officers who were allowed to wear trousers as a WPC, but we were still tasked with stereotypically female jobs. This included tasks like looking after children, even when other male colleagues were more experienced and had children of their own.

“You may have seen representations of male detectives on TV, working in a smoky office, making casually offensive remarks to other officers – well sometimes this was true. Most people who identified as LGBT+, including myself, kept their private lives and sexuality hidden. There wasn’t any support available at the time and I think other people were too scared to reach out to other people they suspected as LGBT+ in case they were ‘outed’ or discriminated against.

“WPC Glynn with her handbag in 1992 wouldn’t believe that she was sharing her story so publicly, but I am so glad to say that we are in a very different place now, both as an organisation and as a society.

“I am now a Detective Superintendent, the force’s authorising officer and have a crime, intelligence and covert policing background spanning over 30 years – all of which have been served in Bedfordshire Police.

“I am also a wife and have been married to my partner, Kate, for eight years (together for 11 years) and we have a lovely, very high maintenance dog. Both Kate and I are lucky that we have such loving supportive families around us and that I have some great friends within the organisation who have supported me and accept us for who we are unconditionally, as sadly, I know this is not the same for all.

“I am proud to be a member of the LGBT+ Staff Network at Bedfordshire Police, the chairs, the members and the many others who choose the represent the LGBT+ community within Bedfordshire Police.

“There is still a long way to go to achieve the ultimate goal of acceptance without having to explain ourselves, without fear of violence, judgement or discrimination just because of the sex of the person we choose to love or who we choose to be, but I believe we can get there.”