When Ms Close joined the Australian Federal Police as a 19-year-old in 1986, handbags were issued to the few female agents.
The men got a gun belt to hold their equipment — but AFP decision-makers thought they would be too heavy for women to handle.
“We were issued with a handbag because when we went out on the streets or to patrol the airport, they didn’t give us the full belt to hang our accoutrements on,” Ms Close said. – READ MORE
