Women in TV’s police squad rooms were a rarity until Angie Dickinson slapped a badge on her chest as Sgt. Pepper Anderson in “Police Woman.” But while Dickinson’s Sgt. Pepper proved to be a lonely heart’s club band, others followed.

These female officers slowly began to infiltrate all divisions of law enforcement. Stepfanie Kramer held her own as the diminutive L.A. police detective with former Rams defensive end Fred Dryer in “Hunter.”

The latest to join the force is British actress Keeley Hawes, who’s played a police officer four times. In her newest assignment she portrays real-life Detective Chief Inspector Caroline Goode in BritBox’s series, “Honour,” which is streaming now.

Armed with a rumpled trench coat and an unattractive hairdo, Hawes sets out to unearth the killer of young Banaz Mahmod, an Iraqi-Kurdish woman who was murdered by her family when she became involved in a relationship they considered inappropriate.

“I think the policewomen that I’ve played — certainly here in the U.K. — have been high profile,” remarks Hawes. “Possibly those roles have stood out, but I’m always very pleased when I’m a police officer because their stories are always so interesting. I didn’t know anything about honor-based violence killing when I read the script. It was a real education for me to learn about that and to learn about the work that this incredible, tenacious woman has done on this case, and the impact she had and continues to have,” she says.

Hawes, who is married to actor Matthew Macfadyen and is the mother of three children, thinks her job as an actor marks a continuation of childhood pretending.

“We get to do that make-believe every day and we have the great luxury of being provided with all the props and the sets and the makeup and the costumes to make that make-believe world very accessible and real and there’s no greater fun than doing that.”

Want to watch?

“Honour”: Streaming on subscription service BritBox (UK/US)