Harper Sercombe
Mernda Police’s Detective Senior Sergeant Joy Murphy has been recognised for her dedication to the police force and has been awarded an Order of Australia Medal on the King’s Birthday.
Coming into her 51st year in the force, Detective Senior Sergeant Murphy is recognised as the longest-serving police women worldwide.
Since joining Victoria Police in 1973 she has been a trailblazer throughout the force.
“I’ve always been an advocate for change, when I saw that it was necessary and beneficial to the community, and the Victorian Police,” she said.
Detective Senior Sergeant Murphy said she is proud of a lot of her work throughout her years in service, including her championing a range of initiatives to support others.
“I was one of six women to become a member of the inaugural rape squad the Victoria Police commenced,” she said. “That was the first squad of its time, like that in Australia.
“I was a part of the process of the ‘SOCIT’ project [sexual offence and child abuse investigation teams]. I was part of that process. It was an idea that I’d pushed through probably about 20 years before it happened.
“I didn’t think that Victoria Police were dealing with family violence, in the best way… so I put up the presumption that, maybe we need a specialised squad who just dealt with that… I made those recommendations back in probably 2004 and in 2015, Victoria Police did establish family laws.
“I also was a member of a group that started off an LGBTIQ plus support group.”
While retirement might be on the horizon for Detective Senior Sergeant Murphy, she said the passion for her work is still there.
“You don’t do the job to get those thank-yous or pats on the back. But when they come they mean a lot they really do.”
