WHEN Carole Thompson signed up to be a police officer, 27 years ago, the force was a very different organisation to what exists today.

Only a few years earlier, in 1976, legislation was passed to give female officers the same status, responsibilities and salary as their male counterparts.

Prior to that, female officers made up a separate department and were seldom allowed senior roles, because having children meant leaving the job entirely.

But senior female police officers are now commonplace. In fact, half of the senior management team of the South Durham force are women.

New chief superintendent and commander of the south area of Durham Police, Carole Thompson, a mother-of-one, took up her new position last month, and will oversee policing in one of the biggest geographic policing areas in the country.

Under her command are the towns of Darlington, Bishop Auckland, Spennymoor and Newton Aycliffe, as well as the surrounding rural areas. It is the latest in a string of promotions for Chief Supt Thompson, who started her career as a 16-year-old cadet posing proudly in uniform for her grandma.

She added: "When I joined, it was a lot more difficult to establish yourself as a woman within the organisation. They weren't as likely to spend money developing a female officer, who may subsequently have a child and leave.

"But now, women raising a family can make use of flexible working, part-time work, and condensed hours, none of that existed then. I cannot think of one female officer, at that time, who had a child and stayed in the force. It wasn't a recognised practice, and it made it very difficult for women to remain in the job."

"But I remained focused on what I wanted to do and how I would get there. I had to work especially hard."

Chief Supt Thompson said crime rates are falling in the region, but the force will continue to tackle problematic areas.

She said: "The biggest issue in Darlington is vehicle crime, whereas in Bishop Auckland it is in relation to criminal damage and violent crime.

"In Darlington, people are still leaving valuables on display, we are making sure that people lock away their valuable out of sight.

"In Bishop, we are looking at the town centre area to find out what is causing that crime, and how we can target it."