Deputy Police Commissioner Linda Williams has been named as a finalist in the leadership category of the 2024 Woman of the Year Awards

The history-making SA Police officer says there was little time to reflect on the tragic circumstances that saw her suddenly leading the force.

When Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams joined the police academy at 17, her career ambition was to make sergeant.

Reaching that rank would have been the “pinnacle” of policing.

“You don’t actually think much further than that when you graduate,” Ms Williams said.

“I never thought further like commissioned officer rank or Commissioner or Deputy or anything like that at the time.”

Fast forward more than 40 years and Ms Williams – a finalist in the leadership category of The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and SkyCity Woman of the Year Awards – has become the highest-ranking female officer in SA Police’s history and led the force through some of its darkest months.

Ms Williams was thrown into her longest stint as the state’s top cop in the hours after Commissioner Grant Stevens’ son, Charlie, 18, was hit by a car during Schoolies celebrations and just a day after Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig was shot and killed in the line of duty in the South-East on November 16.

Deputy Commissioner Linda Williams has been named a finalist in the leadership category of The Advertiser, Sunday Mail and SkyCity Woman of the Year Awards after leading SA Police through one of its darkest periods. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“It has been a trying time for the whole organisation, the police family,” Ms Williams said.

“Any death is terrible, but to have two in such tragic circumstances so close … it was felt by so many people.”

In the thick of one of SA Police’s darkest times, rather than dwell on the twin tragedies that had rocked the force, Ms Williams did what leaders do: she got to work.

“To be honest, I didn’t really dwell on thinking about it,” Ms Williams said.

“I just got on with it and knew there was a task to be done.”

Ms Williams at a press conference after Commissioner Grant Steven’s son Charlie was hit by a car during Schoolies celebrations. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Kelly Barnes

She would lead the police force for more than two months during a time when the state’s road toll climbed to well over 100 for the year and a police officer tragically died while on duty at the Port Adelaide police station.

Only after stepping back into her role as Deputy Commissioner, did Ms Williams reflect on the devastation of her time in the top job.

“It’s only after a period of time can you stand back and realise the amount of emotional impact it was having on yourself and other people,” she said.

“That becomes clearer.

“But in the middle of it you don’t see it.”

Ms Williams pays tribute to Brevet Sergeant Jason Doig at a memorial service in Lucindale. Picture: Riley Walter

Ms Williams made history in 2015 when she became SA Police’s first female Deputy Commissioner and while she shies away from labelling herself a trailblazer, admits the police force was not always an easy environment for young female officers.

“When I graduated there were about 200 sworn policewomen in the force which wasn’t a very high number,” Ms Williams said.

Ms Williams after being announced as SA Police’s first female deputy commissioner in 2015. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

“In those junior years I wasn’t really aware of those things or any barriers because I was probably a bit naive and I thought you could do everything and it was only over a period of time that you start to realise that there were policies or practices that were creating barriers and sometimes I don’t think people understood what it was doing and that was because the lens they were putting across it was largely a male lens.”

Overcoming those barriers was pivotal in Ms Williams leading the charge on the introduction of historic anti-stalking laws in the mid-1990s - an achievement she is immensely proud of.

The laws meant restraining orders could be put in place to stop offenders from approaching victims as a preventive measure against violent behaviour.

Ms Williams said she was unaware of barriers facing female police officers when she joined the force as a cadet in 1980. Picture: Keryn Stevens

“It was getting some resistance so I took it upon myself to advocate within SAPOL to senior managers about why it wasn’t the end of the Earth and why it wasn’t such a scary thing but it was actually a really good thing and could have these preventive measures,” Ms Williams said.

“I was pushing in this organisation to get acceptance … so I’m kind of proud that I was pushing in what was very much a male-dominated executive at the time to try and persuade them and I feel like I was really successful.”

There have been many career highlights for Ms Williams but her top priority is ensuring a healthy culture within the police force.

“It’s fundamental,” she said.

Ms Williams, pictured as a superintendent in 2007, said ensuring SA Police had a healthy culture was one of her top priorities. Picture: Chris Walls

“We’re definitely getting better but there’s always room for improvement.”

While there have been many career highlights across Ms Williams’ more than 40-year policing career, she said there was more she hoped to achieve with no plans of retirement on the horizon.

“I look forward to work every day,” Ms Williams said.

“I’ve never got to the stage where I don’t like it, that I don’t want to come to work.

“There will come a time when in the future I will retire … I haven’t reached that moment.

“I’m still enjoying it, I still feel that I’m contributing, I still feel there’s a lot more I can do.”