Trees, Dolly and Erica the first agents in Heerlen
In 1953 Trees, Dolly and Erica became the first female police officers in uniform - and that in Heerlen! They mainly supervised young people. Due to strict rules and inequality, Dolly and Erica quit after their marriage. Trees remained active in Heerlen until 1957 and then continued working with the police in Oss until her retirement.
In 1953, then 27-year-old Trees Keultjes sees an advertisement from the police in Heerlen: they are looking for women. At that time, Trees is a typist at the police station in Oss. Together with 69 others she applies. Eventually Trees, Dolly Mintjes and Erica Segeren, all three from Brabant, are appointed as the first policemen in uniform. In June, amid great interest, the policemen took to the streets of Heerlen for the first time. Trees was not there: She had dislocated her shoulder during judo training.
Trees, Dolly and Erica worked together in our city for three years. They were mainly in charge of supervising the youth because they supposedly responded better to women. The ladies were not allowed to use the same entrance as male colleagues or sit in the car with them. They were also paid much less as women. Because only unmarried women were allowed to work, Dolly and Erica resigned when they got married. Trees, who would always remain single, remained active as a policewoman in Heerlen until 1957. Then she returned to Oss where she remained with the police until her retirement.