A FEMALE cop from Cowdenbeath said she has the “best job in the world” as the force celebrates the 100th year of women in the police.

Community ward officer Fiona Menzies said life on the beat can be high pressure but also hugely rewarding.

She said, “I think the biggest thing to get across to young people and our communities, is that it is sometimes challenging to keep up with people’s expectations of the police.

“All police officers want to provide the best service they possibly can to the public, but sometimes we have to prioritise and deal with emergencies, which can mean we are balancing several things at once.

“However, the moments throughout my career where I have made a difference to somebody’s life or made somebody feel safer makes being a police officer the best job in the world.

“It’s the feeling of having dealt personally with something either very serious or quite small, especially where your involvement has really impacted positively on somebody, who has been a victim of crime or been involved in a life changing event, and that is important to remember.” She added, “I have always found that it is very important to treat everyone you come across with respect and decency; you never know when you will see them again and need their help and I think that is an ethos that everyone, no matter what they do should try and emulate.” To mark the centenary of women in the police, a special event was held at the Scottish Police College in Tulliallan. Scotland’s most senior female officer, Deputy Chief Constable Rose Fitzpatrick, said no roles or ranks are unattainable and in the latest class of recruits who passed out on Friday morning, 38 per cent were female.

PC Menzies said, “Over the past 12 years I have seen many changes in general policing, both as part of Fife Constabulary and now as part of the Police Service of Scotland.

“However, in the 100th year celebrating women in the police, I think now more than ever, since the inception of the Police Service of Scotland, the options, roles and specialist roles for women in the police and also all police officers, is much greater than before, with the option to go out and carry out your duties in different areas of Scotland if you wish to.” Minister for Youth and Women’s Employment, Annabelle Ewing MSP, attended the Tulliallan event and said, “This is an historic day for Police Scotland, and the rate of female recruits passing out this morning confirms that policing is a viable career for women in Scotland.

“The latest figures show we have a record level of female employment in Scotland, but the Scottish Government will continue to use all the levers at our disposal to help more people into high quality employment opportunities.” Teams across the country held events to celebrate the achievements of female officers and give prospective recruits the chance to ask questions.

There are currently around 5150 female officers in Police Scotland, which makes up approximately 29 per cent of the 17,500 serving officers.

Cowdenbeath community inspector Hannah Morrison said, “Having myself observed some really big changes to police roles and responsibilities over the past 22 years, it is encouraging to see, especially in this the 100th year of celebrating women in the police, the opportunities for women police officers to take on any number of specialist roles within the Police Service of Scotland.”