"I am flying. I soar. I don't like to sit back. I believe there is a place for all of us to reach." So says Superintendent Gertrude Barker of what makes her tick.

Even though she is heading into a new chapter of her life with no long-term future plans, she assures that the same drive and enthusiasm which propelled her Police career will continue after she hangs up her uniform. In the short term, she will combine various forms of community service with pursuit of her hobbies and other interests.

"I will be on the board of Agape House, and I am an avid bridge player, so I will be spending my first week of retirement in the bridge tournament at the Southampton Princess hotel. I still play hockey and am a founding member and president of the Oriels," she says. "I will also get back to golf. I was club champion at Belmont for a couple of years."

With a summary of her Police career that extends over several pages, it would take a book to tell the full tale of Superintendent Barker's life in blue, but as befits someone who says, "I was always very progressive", she has a bottomless well of memories, experiences and opinions to share, and she has also seen many changes within the Police Service since she first joined as a raw recruit.

Supt.Barker's interest in policing happened by chance. Returning from school abroad, the then-Miss Cannonier worked in Calypso's shop in St. George's, but with news of its closing she wondered what she would do with her life. She met with Inspector James McMaster, then-officer in charge of St. George's, and asked him what becoming a police officer entailed.

"He told me I had to do an exam and have a physical, so I thought I'd have a go," Supt. Barker says. "I passed the exam and was told I was in the service. It was all so quick, and I started on January 20, 1966."

At the time there were just eight female officers, and they were placed in a separate Police Women's Department under the leadership of British Inspector Isabelle Lee.

"We didn't work around the clock like we do now, the ladies worked until midnight," Supt. Barker recalls. "During that time we were in the new admin building where the old Police station was on Parliament Street, and I felt quite isolated. We weren't part of the Police because we were only dealing with children's issues and anything to do with female prisoners. Except for the community side of policing that was the extent of our contribution."

Two days a week on rotation, however, the women were "posted" to Somerset and St. George's where they either assisted in the magistrate's courts or patrolled the streets to familiarise themselves with the Island.

For the enlightened and progressive WPC Gertie Cannonier, however, the "separate and not quite equal" aspect of her new career was not something she planned to accept forever. In time her aptitude and dedication would be instrumental in breaking down the gender bias. Meanwhile, it earned her a berth in the predominantly-male Criminal Investigation Department (CID).

"I quickly realised I like that type of work, and I had some very good teachers," Supt. Barker says. "(Chief Superintendent) Laurie Jackson, who recently died, and Dave Chew were my mentors at the time, and they taught me how to investigate and deal with cases. I went from strength to strength."

So much so, in fact, that she was posted to the Narcotics Department, where Inspector Harold Moniz was her mentor.

"I was the first female in narcotics, and I think those were my most challenging and rewarding days," the ex-detective says. "At the time LSD was the drug of choice, particularly for upper class youngsters. My sergeant was Paul Field, and we concentrated on the LSD aspect. We had some very good cases and managed to save some people's lives. We confiscated a lot of the drug and it died down.

"Running parallel to LSD we had a marijuana and heroin problem, plus the late `ganja flight' coming in from Jamaica, so we were constantly on the go. We worked very much as a team, and we managed to cut the drug supply and get the bodies off the street."

Tough as she was on drugs, however, Supt. Barker always had "great sympathy" for the female drug couriers from the West Indies.

"They had families at home and were getting very little money to bring drugs into Bermuda. For them it was just a question of making money to assist their families."

Reflecting on her days in Narcotics, during which she was promoted to Sergeant, Supt. Barker says back then "you didn't see the violence you get today".

"In those days the officers were very dedicated, and I was always proud to work with them. I greatly admired the way we carried out our investigations and managed to get to the end."

As a female, her move to Prosecutions was yet another "first", and Supt. Barker sums up that phase of her career as "another very rewarding part of policing. I got to present and deal with major cases," she says.

That she prosecuted without fear or favour is still remembered by a very close family member.

The convicted man was leaving the courtroom when Supt. Barker called him back to surrender his licence.

"He was shocked, and to this day has never again held a licence or driven, and he still blames me," she says. "Every time I see him he says, `You took my licence'."

Integrity was not only a hallmark of her character, but also something she made very clear to all and sundry at the outset of her career.

"You have to be a very strong person to join the Police service because there is always a time when you will be confronted with putting your job before family relationships and friends," she says. "You have to draw the line very early in your career and make sure that everyone in your circle is well aware of your ethics and your morals, and knows that you are prepared to do your job without fear or favour."

Similarly, Supt. Barker also stamped out any thoughts of sexual harassment from male colleagues on the very day she was sworn in. Offered a lift home by a male officer, the pretty young WPC at first demurred and then accepted. Along the way he suddenly pulled in to a private estate and began chatting her up. She got out of the car and walked away, whereupon the man apologised, and she resolved that nothing similar would ever happen to her again, and it hasn't.

Sexism, however, is another matter. From the days when the Police Service was blatantly gender biased and unwritten "rules" included quotas for hiring women, and not being allowed to rise above the rank of Inspector, it took a courageous woman to deal with all that. Today, Supt. Barker says things have definitely changed for the better, and she credits former Commissioner Colin Coxall for some of that.

"Commissioner Coxall was instrumental in my career development and my promotion beyond Inspector. When he came to Bermuda he recognised the inequality, and made it very clear to everybody that females would have the same responsibilities as their male counterparts. At that time the old guard was moving out and the new, progressive officers were being brought into play."

Even so, when a senior officer recently learned that she would be in charge of the Central District (including Hamilton) on New Year's eve, he said, "Oh, I was hoping for a male."

Supt. Barker describes her development of the Community and Juvenile Services Department as "the most rewarding part" of her career because "the stigma was taken away from the police women and it became a unit of males and females".

As the first Bermudian woman to "break the glass ceiling" when she became Chief Inspector in April 1986, when asked if she could envisage a female Commissioner some day, Supt. Barker says "yes."

"I think the (glass) ceiling is cracked, but not totally broken. I just hope the path I have taken will lead other police women in the same direction."

As a female officer, she has generally earned universal respect, no doubt because she has always been a dedicated, professional, forthright, no-nonsense individual. Within the community at large she is extremely popular.

In the course of her career she has seen the worst side of humanity and made many arrests. While men will struggle, fight and abuse male officers, she says they are like lambs when arrested by females. Even men who physically abuse their partners won't touch a female officer. In fact, some men are extraordinarily polite, leading Supt. Barker to recall "the most bizarre event" of her career.

Passing a group of men drinking on Court Street, the greenhorn WPC cautioned one of them that if he didn't go inside the nearby bar with his bottle she would have to arrest him. He challenged her, so she made good her threat. On the way to the Police Station the offender asked if he could carry the bottle "because it didn't look good for a lady to be carrying it along the street", and he also wanted them to walk faster because if his mother saw him "she'd have a fit".

"His embarrassment was more than my fear of arresting him! To this day he is still polite and respectful every time I see him," she says.

For all her professionalism, however, Supt. Barker admits she has been emotionally affected by some of her experiences. Visiting families with tragic news of loved ones, and particularly juveniles, was "one of the most stressful parts" of her career.

"Most of the incidents I went to were through the Community and Juvenile Department. These were usually murders or child victims," she says. "You can be trained to work with a family but you can't be trained to say the right thing because you don't know what that is until you get there. You just hope that the way you present the news is something the families can live with. You must also continue that relationship for a while so that it doesn't seem cold and finished."

Even today, Supt. Barker says she can still "see the memories" of murder victims, particularly children, and especially Connie Furtado, but as a Police officer she just had to deal with such situations and work through them.

"But you never know to what depth it will reach you. I have cried many times, particularly with the family because you feel their pain."

In an overview of her career and professional development, the oldest and longest-serving police officer is not only proud of her achievements but also pays tribute to those who contributed to her success.

"When I came along there were an awful lot of overseas officers with career backgrounds on other police services who were able to share their knowledge and expertise, and tutor Bermudian constables like myself in dealing with criminal activity in a very professional and efficient way. It was so different then. We had good mentors."

One of her most valuable and controversial contributions was serving on the joint Police/civilian team which wrote the Police Tumim Report in 1993.

Comparing the past with the present, the Superintendent describes today's Police Service as "a very young service, and it will take time for them to develop to the same level of expertise".

Contrary to popular belief, the retiring officer insists that she is not bitter about not becoming Commissioner, despite undergoing specialised training for the post.

"There was disappointment, but I don't feel I was cheated. When I joined my personal goal was to be the first female Superintendent and I have reached that. Everything else would have been a bonus. I feel there was a reason for me not to move upward, and one day I will find that reason. I have no regrets about any of it."

Asked why she has decided to retire from a career that has given her so much satisfaction when she could have stayed on, Supt. Barker says: "I feel I have made as much of a contribution as I possibly can at this time, and there are several initiatives and strategies that are in place that make me feel it is time for a change. The service has given me a very fulfilling and meaningful life. I have met an amazing number of people throughout the community at all levels, and every person I have touched has brought something enriching to my life, but now I feel it is time to move on.

"I will miss the Police and the camaraderie and being the boss, but I am going to smell the roses for a while. I hope I will maintain the respect of my colleagues, of whom I am very proud, and I will always be there to assist in any way whenever called upon."