Daphne Skillern Explained

Honorific Prefix:Commander
Daphne Skillern
Office:Head of C1 Department, Metropolitan Police
Term Start:August 1977
Term End:1980
Office2:Head of CO Branch, Metropolitan Police
Term Start2:1974
Term End2:August 1977
Birth Name:Kathleen Daphne Skillern
Birth Date:29 November 1927

Kathleen Daphne Skillern (29 November 1927  - 20 October 2012) was a British police officer. She was the second woman to hold the rank of commander in the London Metropolitan Police (after Shirley Becke) and the first woman to head a branch at Scotland Yard apart from A4 (Women Police), which was disbanded in 1973; in 1974 she took command of CO (Commissioner's Office) Branch, responsible for research and personnel.

Skillern spent most of her career as a detective in the Criminal Investigation Department. She was promoted to commander on 29 April 1974. In August 1977 she was transferred to head the C1 Department of CID, which included the Obscene Publications Squad, the first woman to head this department.[1] She was awarded the Queen's Police Medal (QPM) in the 1979 Birthday Honours and retired in 1980.

References

Notes and References

  1. "Woman head of obscene books squad", The Times, 20 August 1977