Daw Su Su Win

SHE may be 69, but Daw Su Su Win is still as tough as old boots. An energetic and engaging speaker, she appeared eager to talk to the Myanmar Times about her life, her achievements and her role as the first woman to become a qualified police officer in Myanmar.

Daw Su Su Win was born in Mandalay in 1935. She said that her father, a lecturer in agriculture, was the first qualified professor in Myanmar.

“He always viewed education as very important and all of my brothers and sisters became high achievers,” she said.

The youngest of six children, Daw Su Su Win began looking for a way to leave her own mark on the world. Already a champion athlete in long jumping, she decided to join the police force.

On why she chose the police force, Daw Su Su Win sat up straight and with an air of pride in her voice said, “Police officers stand up for the rights of other citizens, and I have always respected their attitudes.

“When I was a little girl I really appreciated the English police women I saw in magazines. They enthralled me so much that I made up my mind to become a police officer.”

In 1960, at the age of 25, her dream came true – Daw Su Su Win became the first female police officer in the country.

“Then I had to decide what type of police officer I wanted to be, because like doctors, there are several different areas you can work in,” she said.

“There are categories like CID [criminal investigative department], crime and traffic and camera departments. I chose the traffic and licensing section, and I found that I really loved my work.”

From the beginning, Daw Su Su Win became a force to be reckoned with, and she said that even her male counterparts appreciated her authority.

“Men respected me because of my excellent performance and record; they never had the opportunity to look down on me,” she said.

“They never teased me for being a woman because how could they? How could they humiliate me when some of them wouldn’t dare drive a car or a motorcycle? I can do both!”

As a result of her hard work and ability to engage herself in any situation, Daw Su Su Win said she developed a tough reputation.

“I am not afraid of dead bodies. Sometimes I would get emergency phone calls about dead bodies, and I was happy to deal with them and move them. It was just my job.”

At first some people were surprised to see Daw Su Su Win on her motorcycle, but slowly they grew to respect her authority. She said that now that she is older, she is still feared and admired.

Over the years Daw Su Su Win has attracted wide recognition from not only the police department, but also the Myanmar community. Pulling out magazine and newspaper clippings, she sat with a stack of articles from various publications written about her. She showed one report detailing her rescue of a mugging victim – it is titled ‘Damsel rescues man in distress.’

“There was another incident,” she said with a grin, “when I caught six burglars red handed and I arrested all of them. That made the newspapers, too.”

As a successful career woman working within a family-oriented society, Daw Su Su Win has had to confront questions about her own family. She said that she was never interested in marriage and children and has no qualms about putting her job first.

“I never regretted being a police officer and not getting married. I decided not to marry when I was 10 years old, and I am not very fond of children. I am very interested in my religion, however, and I find meditation very relaxing,” she said.

Despite having a reputation as one of the toughest cops in town, the life of a police officer is not easy and after 22 years in the service Daw Su Su Win retired.

“My friends said I wouldn’t last very long in the job at all, but I ended up staying for more than 20 years. And after I retired I spent 370 days in the meditation centre as a nun,” she said.

“I suppose you could say that I was the pioneer of women policing and it makes me feel really good that so many young girls have now decided to follow my lead.

“If I could give advice to young women who aspire to become police officers, I would tell them to be honest, sincere and to maintain their integrity at all times.”

All traits that could easily be attributed to Daw Su Su Win.