Allerdyce Cooper Strachan is a Bahamian law enforcement officer. Strachan was a

Superintendent of Police Superintendent (Supt) is a rank in the British police and in most English-speaking Commonwealth nations. In many Commonwealth countries, the full version is superintendent of police (SP). The rank is also used in most British Overseas Territories ...

within the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the first woman to rise to that rank.

Early life and education

Allerdyce Cooper was born in Rock Sound, Eleuthera to Otis and Madeline Cooper. During her childhood she attended school in

Eleuthera Eleuthera () refers both to a single island in the archipelagic state of The Commonwealth of the Bahamas and to its associated group of smaller islands. Eleuthera forms a part of the Great Bahama Bank. The island of Eleuthera incorporates the s ...

as well as in

Grand Bahama Grand Bahama is the northernmost of the islands of the Bahamas, with the town of West End located east of Palm Beach, Florida. It is the third largest island in the Bahamas island chain of approximately 700 islands and 2,400 cays. The island is ...

. After finishing high school, Cooper worked as a

teacher's assistant A teaching assistant or teacher's aide (TA) or education assistant (EA) or team teacher (TT) is an individual who assists a teacher with instructional responsibilities. TAs include ''graduate teaching assistants'' (GTAs), who are graduate stude ...

in Eleuthera until 1964.

Law enforcement career

Strachan joined The Royal Bahamas Police Force in 1965. She worked in the Criminal Investigation Department for 26 years. In 1993 with Police Commissioner Bonamy, Strachan started a free summer camp for youth. In 1996, Strachan was promoted to Superintendent of Police, the first woman to hold the position. In 1999, she retired from active duty. Strachan was Vice President of the International Association of Community Police Officers from 1996 to 1999.

Recognition and later life

Strachan was recognized by The Royal Bahamas Police Force as Best Recruit in 1965. She was awarded a Good Conduct Medal in 1984, a Meritorious Award in 1985. She received the Silver Jubilee Award from the Government of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in 1998. Strachan was a recipient of the Zonta Club of New Providence Living Legends Award in 2000, The Royal Bahamas Police Force Silver Salvo Award in 2003, and the Prison Fellowship Award. Strachan is the founding Secretary of The Royal Bahamas Police Force Retired Officers Association.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strachan, Allerdyce Bahamian police officers Living people Chiefs of police Year of birth missing (living people)